Concerning the requirements of posterity, the work of German court composer Johann Gottlieb Graun has spent much of its time trying to extract itself from the long shadow of the music of Graun's much better-known younger brother, Carl Heinrich Graun. In addition, this is the reverse from the usual modus operandi of historic valuation; Carl Heinrich Graun was primarily known as a composer of opera and vocal music, whereas Johann Gottlieb Graun concentrated on instrumental music, and led the band for the court King Frederick the Great in Berlin. This distinction does not help much in some cases, as both brothers belonged to the court of the Prussian King, and surviving manuscripts are often signed "Graun" without any additional distinction as to which of the two produced a given work in question. However, there are some clues -- Carl Heinrich Graun's instrumental music is precious, courtly, and reflects the influence of operatic melody, which was his strongest suit. By comparison, Johann Gottlieb Graun's orchestral and chamber music is more muscular, sinewy, and demonstrates that he was a true master of instrumental forms in a way that his brother never could be.
Martin Haselböck and the
Wiener Akademie make a splendid case for the enduring qualities of the elder Graun with the CPO disc Johann Gottlieb Graun: Concertos. Actually, it contains a symphony, as well, one of 97 or so that Graun wrote, and this Sinfonia Grosso in D major is widely believed to be the best work that Graun has to offer in the genre of symphony. It is succinct, rhythmically propulsive, and engaging, but the Violin Concerto in D minor that follows is an extraordinary, turbulent, and deeply emotional work. The Violin Concerto in A major is scarcely less so, and the concluding Concerto per la Viola da Gamba in A major is practically a riot of instrumental color, brimming with variety of texture.
Haselböck, the
Wiener Akademie, and soloists
Ilja Korol,
Daniel Sepec, and
Vittorio Ghielmi all put their backs into this music and once in the player, this disc never lets you go.
It is a well-ingrained idea that little of the music of the Classical Era beyond the "big three" (Haydn, Beethoven, and Mozart) has much to offer in terms of heterogeneousness. Johann Gottlieb Graun: Concertos is an entry in an ever-growing field of recordings that blow the lid off that myth, but this one is especially exciting and revelatory.