Eybler: String Trio, HV 197 & String Quintet, HV 188

Album review

Joseph Eybler was a Viennese composer born in 1765, between the birthdates of Mozart and Beethoven. He studied with Haydn and with Albrechtsberger, who in 1793, after Mozart's death, pronounced him Vienna's greatest composer. It was just a couple more years before Beethoven came on the scene in a big way, but hearing these two pieces of chamber music one can understand what the pedagogue Albrechtsberger liked about Eybler. His music has neither the melodic flair of Mozart's nor the formal imagination of Haydn and of Beethoven's various forerunners, but it is quite adept in the realm of counterpoint. In his music there is always a lot of activity muttering under the unremarkable melodic surface. This trait shows itself in different ways here in a String Trio, Op. 2 (violin, viola, and cello) of about 1798, and in a string quintet of 1803. The trio sheds the light, divertimento-like quality of earlier string trios in favor of nicely turned-out, rather Haydn-like movements well balanced among the three instruments. The trio is in five movements, but the short penultimate Adagio is really a slow introduction to the final rondo. The String Quintet, Op. 6/1, is for the highly unusual combination of one violin, two violas, cello, and double bass. It's unknown whether Eybler was commissioned to write for this group or whether he chose it for himself (little is known about these pieces in general), but it fits his style perfectly, producing dense textures in low registers in music that, although never profound (there are six mostly short movements) takes several listenings to give up its secrets. Players in amateur string ensembles should get to know these works, for they do very well at giving good lines to each instrumentalist. The Deutsches Streichtrio (and added players) approach Eybler's music sympathetically with relaxed, transparent performances that open up the lower registers, and CPO's sound environment is clear and unobtrusive.
© TiVo