|
|
Anton Diabelli (1781-1858)
Grande Sonate Brillante op. 102
Sonate op. 71
Mauro Giuliani (1781-1829)
Grandi Variazione e Polonese op. 65
Caspar Joseph Mertz (1806-1856)
Einsiedlers Waldglöcklein
Barcarole
Maximilian Mangold, Historical Guitar
Kristian Nyquist, Fortepiano
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the guitar experienced a true heyday in a number of
European cities, particularly in Vienna, Paris, and London. Numerous guitar virtuosi sparked
off a wave of enthusiasm for the guitar, undertook extended concert tours throughout Euro-
pe, and were simultaneously prolific composers. The guitar, which had been neglected for a
long time and, in contrast to the lute, did not have a tradition in art music, found entry into
concert life and became a fashionable instrument.
The composers of the works recorded here were not native Viennese, but they did spend a
large part of their lives in the Habsburg metropolis, and celebrated their greatest successes
there. The guitar enjoyed an astonishing popularity particularly in Vienna. Besides Diabelli,
Giuliani, and Mertz, Simon Molitor, Leonhard von Call, Wenzeslav Matiegka, Ivan Padovec,
and many others were also active there at times.
For the present recording, we used a faithful reconstruction by Bernhard Kresse (Cologne,
2003) of a six-string guitar by Johann Anton Stauffer (Vienna, ca. 1840). The difference
between this instrument and a modern concert guitar lies primarily in the construction. The
historical instrument is built smaller and much lighter, has a shorter body and a thinner
neck. The tension on the strings is less as a result of the shorter string length and the lower
chamber pitch (A=430 Hz). The tuning of the strings corresponds to that in use today.
The fortepiano heard here is a replica of a grand piano from 1814 by the Viennese master
piano maker Nannette Streicher, who at that time was famous throughout Europe. Streicher
was responsible for some of the most innovative changes in piano construction, including,
for example, in the present instance, the forward-looking backpost construction (cross bra-
ces inside the body) and the case rim made of layers of wood. Conventional is the so-called
„Viennese action,“ an escapement action that her father, Andreas Stein, developed and that
was highly praised by Mozart. The keyboard has a compass of six octaves, from FF to f4;
three pedals serve to modify the sound (action shift, muffler, and damper lifter). The instru-
ment is from the workshop of Michael Walker (Heidelberg, 2002).
|
Products: 15 | Amount: 213,90 EUR 
