Steibelt from GegaNew

[thalbergmad]

One of my longest standing and loveliest internet friends has recorded a disc with the GegaNew label that is due for release sometime in the not too distant future. Not sure when as it is not yet listed, but here is the web address.

http://www.geganew.com/index_en.htm

Stretching the forum remit, but the cd covers works from 1792 to 1810 and includes the Sonatas Op.6, Op.82, 3 etudes from Op.78 and the Piano Concerto No.6. The concerto is played as a solo which was often the case in the era in which it was composed.

The early sonata is pure Clementi, but Steibelt's proto-romanticism starts to come through in the Etudes and the Concerto.

Steibelt gets a pretty rubbish press and the word "charlatan" seems to be thrown at him in lots of publications by people who I submit have probably never played or heard a note of his work. Hopefully, some oft repeated opinions might be challenged.

Thal

[Gareth Vaughan]

I must admit I've only ever looked at the famous "Orage" concerto, which I thought was not great - but certainly not bad. I will be very intrigued indeed to hear this disk.

[eschiss1]

The Munich library (Bavarian, BSB) has uploaded a number of early publications of scores of his that looked interesting.

[Gauk]

I like the idea of "proto-romanticism". I think someone should invent neoproto-romanticism.

[eschiss1]

In two words: Please, No.

(It's one thing for composers to write in a style that happens to sound somewhat older because that's the style that suits their material, temperament, etc., and to develop within it or even outside of it - perhaps even to- GASP! - the annoyance of this forum's (or the other forum's) members (whose business it is not! and whose accusations that they are composing to please or displease the ghost of Mr. Glock would be arrant and arrogant nonsense) - ... for the business of a composer, as understood post-Mozart, is as a rule, and excepting commissions - to please themselves and more specifically, to develop their spirit in their work... ... - it is another, however, to decide "I shall write in _this_ style", "I shall write the Great American Symphony", decision first, impulse later... - that... well, let us say that seems to produce worse results, when it is noticeable, anyhow.

[Gauk]

Well ... does anyone decide to write in a style, except perhaps when composing period music for films, etc? I would think rather that composers mostly write what they want to, and it is the musicologist that comes and pigeonholes it as late romantic or whatever.

[thalbergmad]

I must admit I've only ever looked at the famous "Orage" concerto, which I thought was not great - but certainly not bad.

I think "not great but not bad" could well apply to some of Steibelt's works. The "Orage" was a huge hit in its day, but it is difficult to see why today.

I have played a fair bit of Steibelt and if I wanted to criticise him, I would say that unlike the greats, he does not always know what to do with his ideas and does not seamlessly sew them together. Perhaps some of his works are fragmented as a result.

The works on this disk have been chosen carefully to show him in his best light and I hope it will lead to a time when Steibelt is not dismissed without reason.

Thal

[giles.enders]

I welcome all recordings of unrecorded music so long as they are reasonably well played.  Even poorly composed music is of interest if it gives pleasure or an insight to the period in which it was composed.  Steibelt was in competition with Field during their period in Russia, to the extent that they agreed to change cities so that both St. Petersburg and Moscow were given a chance to hear them both.  I like Field and for this reason alone I would like to hear the competition.

[Gauk]

I like Field and for this reason alone I would like to hear the competition.

This is a very good reason. I often feel that most music-lovers don't really know the music of Beethoven because they don't have a context for it. The works of any composer should be heard in conjunction with those of their contemporaries.

[eschiss1]

I recall that Charles-Valentin Alkan's (a composer who interests me very much and whose best music I like) first work was variations on a theme by Steibelt. Whether he chose Steibelt because he liked his music or because of the commercial value of having Steibelt's name attached to his opus 1, not that these are mutually exclusive (I can understand that!!), the connection interests me too. (There was a complete Alkan in progress at one point, and I wonder if this Alkan work is recorded...)

[Gareth Vaughan]

The Variations on a theme from Steibelt's "Orage" Concerto, Op. 1 were recorded by Laurent Martin for Marco Polo.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=Alkan%20%2BSteibelt%20%2BMartin

[eschiss1]

ah, thank you.

[giles.enders]

It might be the case that Alkan thought he could improve on Steibelt's piece!