Jan Dismas Zelenka & Johann Georg Pisendel - Concerti et al.

Johann Georg Pisendel (December 26, 1687 - November 25, 1755) was a German Baroque musician, violinist and composer who for many years led the Court Orchestra in Dresden, then the finest instrumental ensemble in Europe. He was considered the foremost German violinist of his time and was an admired orchestra director. He did not write much music, but what there is (all instrumental works) was of very high quality and is mostly in an Italian style influenced by Vivaldi. The Bohemian composer Jan Dismas Zelenka played the double bass in the royal orchestra in Dresden, whence he was despatched for study in Italy, eventually returning to spend the rest of his life in the Saxon capital. It was expected that he would succeed Heinichen as court Kapellmeister, but the position went, instead, to Hasse, and Zelenka remained, now as Church Composer, a position of much less importance. He won the admiration of distinguished contemporaries, such as Johann Sebastian Bach, for his use of counterpoint, his harmonic imagination and originality, and made some use of Bohemian folk elements. It seems that Zelenka and Pisendel travelled together from Dresden to Italy (both accompanied the Elector); the first was going to study with Lotti and Scarlatti, the latter with Antonio Vivaldi.


tracklist:

Jan Dismas Zelenka - 'Hipocondrie' à 7 Concertanti in A Major
2 oboes, bassoon, 2 violins, viola & b.c.

Johann Georg Pisendel - Concerto in D major
violin solo, 2 oboes, 2 horns, bassoon, strings & b.c.

Jan Dismas Zelenka - Concerto à 8 Concertanti in G major
2 oboes, bassoon, 2 violins, viola, violoncello & b.c.

Johann Georg Pisendel - Sonata in C minor
2 oboes, strings & b.c.

Jan Dismas Zelenka - 'Simphonie' à 8 Concertanti in A minor
2 oboes, bassoon, violin solo, 2 violins, viola, violoncello & b.c.


Freiburger Barockorchester
dir. Gottfried von der Goltz