Vranicky recommendations

[Kevin Pearson]

This morning on my local classical station (WRR 101.1 FM) they played the piece below and I loved it. It was very Beethoven like and yet not. I was wondering if any of you have experience with composer and what recordings you would recommend?

VRANICKY: Aphrodite Symphony - 1.
Valek, Vladimir/Dvorak Chamber Orchestra
Supraphon: 72438

Kevin

[eschiss1]

Ah, this is Anton Vranicky, not his better-known and more recorded brother Paul (or Pavel)... there's much less out there by him.  Haven't heard anything by Anton (and very little by Paul) but have seen a few scores by both.  You may want to look at the website http://www.wranitzky.com , the Wranitzky Project (Wranitzky was the Germanized surname of the Moravian- I think- Czech, we'd say now, but there was no Czech in those days - brothers who I think were born as Antonín and Pavel - or maybe not; it's not clear to me...) - anyhow, the website right now focuses I think on Paul but will have some Anton soon...

Ah. http://www.wranitzky.com/discography.htm lists two CDs of works by the two Vranicky brothers (sextets for flute, oboe and string quartet, and string quartets). Worth a look if you can find them...
Eric

[Josh]

There were two Vranický's, brothers no less, so it gets a tad confusing when searching them up.  The one who wrote an Aphrodite Symphony was Antonín Vranický, and possibly his most well-known (or at least well-distributed) piece right now would be his Violin Concerto in C.  The CD that's on is terrific, and I highly recommend it.  It's also on the Supraphon label:

http://www.amazon.com/Concertos-Violin-Orchestra-Benda/dp/B001QVCER4
http://www.amazon.com/Benda-Pichl-Vranicky-Violin-Concertos/dp/B003SLQOBW

I own and enjoy music by both of the Vranický brothers, but it can sometimes be a tad difficult to come by.  One reason their music is hard to pin down is that one or both of them has various spellings of his last name (Wranitzky is one spelling), and I remember reading about a CD that mis-attributed a work to the wrong brother.  This name-changing business wasn't just done after their lifetimes, but during.  Quite a few composers in the late 18th century changed their names when moving around in Europe to be easier to name by the locals.  Danged foreigners, Europe's chock full of 'em.  Anyway, that Violin Concerto by younger brother Antonín - the same who wrote that symphony you and I both like - is really outstanding.  If you're interested in obtaining the CD you heard on the radio, I have it myself, and it also contains a passable symphony by Václav Tomášek¹.

This may be pre-Romantic music, but the composers from the area we'd now call Czech were the most ahead-of-their-time composers of the 1800-1820 period, in my opinion.  At least, the overall feel of their sound in general tended to come across as sharper, more complex, and "harsher", certain qualities I generally associate with music composed from 1825 onward.


¹I really want to warm to Tomášek, but everything I've heard just isn't my thing.  Don't get me wrong, I mildly like all of his music that I've heard.  At its worst, it's inoffensive and doesn't turn me off, but it doesn't turn me on either.  I hate to bring any negativity around, but in recommending that CD, I just feel the need to point out that his music - including that symphony - doesn't sweep me off my feet.  However, some people prefer it to the A.Vranický work on the same disc, so what can I say?  It takes all kinds.

Sorry about the poorly-written post, but I'm feeling very lazy and not willing to clean it up tonight.

[Kevin Pearson]

Thank you Eric and Josh! You both have been tremendously helpful. Very interesting about the spelling change and the two brothers. I would not have known how to distinguish without your help. I'm very interested in obtaining a copy of the symphony I heard but am also interested in the violin concerto. Thanks again! I can always depend on this site for useful information and discernment.

Kevin

[eschiss1]

Thank you Eric and Josh! You both have been tremendously helpful. Very interesting about the spelling change and the two brothers. I would not have known how to distinguish without your help. I'm very interested in obtaining a copy of the symphony I heard but am also interested in the violin concerto. Thanks again! I can always depend on this site for useful information and discernment.

Kevin

I think the symphony may have been last released on CD in 1988, and may be out of print (Amazon does list it as currently available, now I check).

(Going to http://www.supraphon.cz and searching for Vranicky reveals some additional CDs - including one coupling masses by Tomasek and Anton Wranitzky, as well as the violin concerto CD that was mentioned, and another with a 2 viola concerto of his (and works by Stamitz and Telemann) - but not the Aphrodite symphony). I think the CD (searching for Vranicky) that Amazon lists as unavailable of 'concertante [string] quartets' on Studio Matous is of Anton Wranitzky, not Paul, also. I do think I recall good things about that pair of discs though.)
Eric

[febnyc]

On my shelves are the following CDs of the Brothers Vranicky.  Maybe this info will help identity who's who:

VRANICKÝ, A.   
Aphrodite Symphony/ Tomasek Symphony (Dvořák CO, Valek)  Supraphon 72438
Concertante Quartet 1-3 (Martinů Quartet)   Matous 0038
Concertante Quartet 4-6 (Martinů Quartet)   Matous 0039
Sextet 7 in G/ P. Vranický Sextet 3 in Eb, 4 in C, 6 in D Minor (Válek, Brožková, Stamic Q)   Supraphon 3788

VRANICKÝ, P.   
Symphony in D Op.36, in C Op.11 (Dvořák CO, Gregor)  Supraphon 1332
String Quartet in d (See Krommer)  Panton 0378
Sextet 3 in Eb, 4 in C, 6 in D Minor (See A. Vranický)   Supraphon 3788

[JimL]

I have the Vranicky VC in C.  It reminded me of what Haydn might have written for Salomon had he composed a late violin concerto on one of his London tours.  The thematic treatment was a little different, but the large orchestra and solo/tutti balance we're familiar with from the Haydn Trumpet Concerto were the same.

[DennisS]

I would like to thank Kevin for alerting me to the music of Vranicky. I listened to sound bites of Vranicky's symphonies and very much liked what I heard - a double cd of 6 symphonies, which I have since ordered. The music is a cross between Mozart and Beethoven, yet still seems quite original. From the Amazon site , it seems that Vranicky was quite admired by both Mozart and Beethoven! It was only after reading subsequent posts on this thread that I realised I had ordered symphonies by Pawel Vranicky and not Antonin Vranicky! I am though not at all disappointed at having ordered the symphonies of Pawel Vranicky! I have since tried to track down a recording of the Aphrodite symphony by A. Vravnicky but so far have not been successful (no longer available on Amazon, nor is there a mention on Jpc.de etc.). I will keep looking.

Thanks again Kevin. Thanks also to all the other members who have contributed to this thread.

cheers
Dennis