Presents
Franz Krommer
String Quartet in f minor, Op.68 No.1 "First Rasumovsky"--New Edition
Franz Krommer's String Quartet in f minor, Op.68 No.1 is the first of a set of three which were composed around 1809 and which were dedicated to the same Count Rasumovsky that Beethoven's Op.59 were. Krommer'set, of course, was very different from Beethoven's as Krommer throughout his life remained true to the Vienna Classical models of Haydn and Mozart. Not surprisingly, contemporary accounts noted that Rasumovsky appreciated Krommer's quartets more than those of Beethoven whose emerging new style he did not understand. The opening Allegro moderato begins with a powerful theme in the first violin. There is much forward motion created by whirling, running passages in all of the voices. The Andante which follows, though not so marked is a set of variations, a favorite of both Krommer and Haydn. The lovely opening theme is taken through several interesting changes. The Menuetto, allegretto opens with a unison presentation of the spooky main theme. Accidents on the third beat keep things off balance and the use of trills adds to the suspense. The trio is calmer. A downward, plunging unision makes for immediate excitement which the concluding Allegro amply fullfils.
Franz Krommer (1759-1831) was born in town of Kamnitz then part of the Habsburg Austrian Empire (today Kamenice in the Czech Republic) It had a mixed population of Germans and Czechs and though baptized František Vincenc Kramář by the time he was 15, Krommer began using the Germanized version of his name for the rest of his life, the name by which he beame known to the world. Krommer was one of the most successful composers in Vienna at the turn of the 18th Century. His reputation was attested to by the fact that his works were frequently republished throughout Germany, England, France, Italy, Scandinavia and even the United States. According to several contemporary sources he was regarded with Haydn as the leading composer of string quartets and as a serious rival of Beethoven. Krommer was a violinist of considerable ability who came to Vienna around 1785. For the following 10 years he held appointments at various aristocratic courts in Hungary. He returned to Vienna in 1795 where he remained until his death, holding various positions including that of Court Composer (Hofmusiker) to the Emperor, Franz I, an enthusiastic quartet player. He was the last composer to hold this august title and one of his duties was accompanying the Emperor on his various campaigns so that he could relax in the evenings playing quartets. There are more than 300 compositions which were at one time or another published, much of which is chamber music. He wrote more than 70 string quartets, 35 quintets, perhaps as many as 15 string trios, but also several works for winds and strings. Of Krommer's string quartets, the famous chamber music critic Wilhelm Altmann, in his Handbook for String Quartet Players writes, “Krommer knew how to write for string instruments and as a result what he wrote sounds brilliant."
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