Carl Czerny - Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 (Kölner Akademie - Michael Alexander Willens)

[Ilja]

New from cpo, and now available:

Carl Czerny, Symphonies No. 1 in C minor, Op. 780, and No. 2 in D major, Op. 781 (YouTube Link).

After a first listening, this seems like a strongly classical-leaning interpretation of works that have been recorded before (both of them by Athinäos and No. 2 by Nowak). That, and the HIPpy sound, make them sound rather timid, and perhaps rather too restrained for my liking compared to the others.

[Mark Thomas]

Echoing Ilja, these performances are a disappointment. They are indeed bloodless and lightweight compared with the two we've had for some time, mentioned by Ilja. Although Czerny is an early romantic, perhaps surprisingly the more "classical" approach adopted by Willens and his ensemble really doesn't suit the music, which needs more drama and robust treatment to be effective. A shame.

[Ilja]

It's a bit similar, but in reverse, to the situation with the contemporary Fifth Symphony by Kalliwoda, where the performance by Das Neue Orchester under Christoph Spering (on cpo, 2016) demonstrated what can be achieved by emphasizing the romantic aspect in works like this, and for me served as something of a one-way valve. The Bernius recording on Orfeo (2006) was fine in itself, of course, but afterwards I found it difficult to enjoy the music being played in such a cautious way.

[Mark Thomas]

Being played too cautiously is a problem which besets many first recordings of unfamiliar repertoire. I guess it's a symptom of 2nd tier performers either not having the experience to see what's needed to bring out the best in the music, and so resorting to what works for similar and more familiar music, or not having the confidence to trust their own judgement and take chances. Either way, the upshot is underselling the music, which contributes to its continuing neglect.