Customer Reviews

Von Weber: Piano concertos, Symphonies, Overtures

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This three CD set of the music of Carl Maria von Weber on the Brilliant Classics label is nothing short of brilliant. For those of you not familiar with the label, Brilliant Classics license previously released recordings from various labels and reissue them as budget collections. I have found terrific recordings of Stravinsky, Beethoven, Sibelius, Schubert, Tchaikovsky and now Weber on this label, all for a fraction of the cost of most major label sets. CD1 of this collection features the two Symphonies (Marriner/ASMF, 1982) licensed from ASV, CD2 is the Konzertstuck and the 2 Piano Concertos (Rosel, Blomstedt/Staatskapelle Dresden, 1984) licensed from Edel Classics, and CD3 features most of the Overtures (Kuhn/Dresden, 1985) licensed from Delta Music. All the recordings are digital and sound terrific, and the performances are first rate. A truly Brilliant collection!

The importance of Carl Maria von Weber as fundamental pillar of the German Opera has been minimized and many times overlooked by historical reasons; among other issues because the rising of the Italian Opera and his main Ambassador: Pessaro's swam. Gioachino Rossini, the undetermined frontier between Classicism and Romanticism, the progressive declining creative powers and the new perspectives that were aroused by the recent by then consequences of the French Revolution.

In this environment of continuous uncertainness, Weber wrought his career as conductor, composer and Opera Meister in Dresden. Whether or not he was the herald of German Opera, hovered with specific weight and authentic significance. Despite of the fact he died before his 40th anniversary, he sew the ground for the future composers. His music is far to be deep or filled of mythic transcendence, due he was probably concerned with another issues of minor relevance by then. To be born in the middle of such transitional ages around the utopia of a new world and to be able to understand in its wholeness the repercussions of such French Revolution was not precisely a piece of cake. Beethoven himself suffered in living flesh the consequences of being into a world that suddenly had bet for the frivolity or the rampant vulgarity of musical movements conceived as mere distraction' s vehicle for the great audiences.

Everything Weber wrote was always characterized by a dramatic force and a marked rhythmic accent. Berlioz, Schumann, Liszt and Wagner would be his most conspicuous inheritors.

This CD is a memorable rendition around these brilliant and easy to listen piano works that should occupy a place of major interest by most of musicians ¡, leaving asides the well known prejudices.