Krommer: Octet Partitas - CD

ENGLISH

<br><br>A Czech contemporary of Mozart, Krommer can always be relied upon to surprise – with structural inventiveness, and melodies that pay homage to good classical manners before twisting in unexpected directions: amiability and hearty good humour are its most usual moods, but the melancholy that (for example) Mozart can find in the wind-ensemble genre (most notably, in the ‘Gran Partita’ is not beyond him, as some touching slow movements on the present disc testify. Much of Krommer’s best music is for winds – he is perhaps best known now for some fine concertos that display the evolving potential of the clarinet – though in his own time, his 70 string quartets were spoken of in the same breath as Haydn’s. There are in all 13 partitas for eight-strong wind ensemble, and this the first volume in what will be their first complete recording. <br /> <br /> Other information:<br /> - Recorded in 2007.<br /> <br />