Haydn & Kraft: Cello Concertos and Cello Sonata

Album review

The relationship between Joseph Haydn and Anton Kraft caused a great deal of speculation and uncertainty, particularly in the cello community. Kraft was a very successful and highly talented cellist who, as was customary at the time, frequently composed to demonstrate his own talents. In an effort to improve his compositional abilities, Kraft studied with Haydn, who in turn broadened his own understanding of the cello's abilities. Because of this close relationship between the two, and given the absence of an autographed manuscript until the middle of the last century, Haydn's D major Cello Concerto was attributed to Kraft's hand. It is clearer now that while Kraft was certainly instrumental in assisting Haydn with the work, the concerto is certainly Haydn's.
This Berlin Classics album cleverly combines the two extant cello concertos of Haydn with the rarely performed G major Cello Sonata of Kraft. Listeners can hear the similarities (and, indeed, the differences) between these contemporary composers. Cellist Jens Peter Maintz performs with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen in solid though unimaginative performances of the two concertos. Maintz's playing is technically polished, with precise intonation, an articulate right arm, and a clean, unsullied left hand. What's lacking in the two concertos, however, is sufficient power from Maintz. The orchestra easily obscures Maintz's playing throughout, making it a struggle for listeners to hear what should be abundantly clear. Cellist Dávid Adorján joins Maintz on continuo for the Kraft sonata. Here, balance is certainly not an issue, but the two cellists occasionally differ on exactly where the center of pitch is.

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