JIŘÍ ANTONÍN BENDA (1722-1795) - SAMMLUNG VERMISCHTER CLAVIER- UND GESANGSTÜCKE FÜR GEÜBTE UND UNGEÜBTE SPIELER (1780-1787)
1 - 3. Sonata in F major 14:20
4. Mit Lauretten, seiner Freude 1:34
5. Sonatina in B flat major 1:46
6. Du, kleine, Blondine bezauberst ja schon 1:43
7. Sonatina in F major 1:57
8. Mir Armen, den des Fiebers Kraft 0:55
9. Sonatina in D major 1:17
10. Hüpft, ihr wollenreichen Herden 2:19
11.-13. Sonata in G major for Violin and Harpsichord 14:24
14. Mein Geliebter hat versprochen 1:39
15. Sonatina in G minor 1:37
16. Romanze: Ein Mädchen, das auf Ehre hielt 2:18
17.-19. Sonata in C minor 11:31
20. Ich liebte nur Ismenen 2:44
21. Sonatina in C major 2:33
22. Heraklit, gleich stumpfen Greisen 2:22
23.-25. Sonata in F major 10:30
Edita Keglerová - harpsichord
Ivana Bilej Brouková - soprano
Helena Zemanová - violin
Hana Fleková, Marek Štryncl - cello
Recorded in the Chateau Jičín, May 2013 and July 2014
Jiří Antonín Benda spent his prime years at King Friedrich II’s court orchestra in Berlin and serving as court Kapellmeister in Gotha, yet his works were an integral part of 18th-century Prague’s musical landscape. The Czech capital frequently hosted performances of his singspiels, while prints of his compositions were in high demand too. Benda was best known for his melodramas and singspiels, whose novel and striking forcibility even enthralled the young Mozart (“You know that Benda has always been my favourite Lutheran Kapellmeister,” wrote Wolfgang to this father). The greatest impact on Benda’s keyboard music was made by his Berlin colleague Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. The first of the six volumes of Benda’s “Sammlung” was published in 1780. Besides sonatas and sonatinas for “piano” (meaning any keyboard instrument, most frequently the harpsichord), the collection contained arias from church pieces, sonatas for several instruments, and songs. It was an extraordinary success and when it comes to the number of subscribers, it even outstripped C. P. E. Bach’s similarly conceived collection of sonatas, which started to be published a year earlier.
Benda’s music is enchanting in its simplicity, impressive expression, gallantry and wit. The artists who made this recording have immersed themselves in Benda’s musical universe and, bringing to bear their ample performing experience, have succeeded in relaying its irresistible charm.
The magic of simplicity. That’s Jiří Antonín Benda’s music.
(Supraphon 2015)
| Property | Value |
| format | CD audio |
| original instruments | Yes |
