I just acquired another cd in my exploration
of the works of little known composers--String Quartets Nos. 1-3 by Anton
Zimmerman on Naxos 8.553952. It is indeed thoroughly enjoyable
listening.
From the notes on the CD, Wikipedia, and other on-line sources, I learned a little about Anton Zimmerman:
Silesian-born Anton Zimmermann was born in 1741 in Široká Niva (Breitenau); he died 1781, Bratislava. He was a composer and contemporary of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Zimmermann spent most of his career in Bratislava, then capital of Hungary, where he worked as a composer, violinist, conductor, and artist manager.
The
most important and influential post that this Austrian composer held was as the
composer to Count Joseph Batthyany, the Archbishop of Hungary. He held this
position from 1776 until his death. As the first violinist he
conducted from his chair performing instrumental secular works. Zimmermann composed approximately
twenty five symphonies as well as numerous works in a variety of genres,
including works for the stage, masses, offertories, concertos, nocturnes, and
sonatas. He is considered to be one of the first composers to actually capture
theatrical qualities in his melodramatic compositions. The sacred music which
Zimmermann
composed demonstrated his capacity for fugal developmental with full harmonic
sonorities.
Modeled
on those of Joseph Haydn, Zimmermann’s quartets and other chamber works for
strings are noteworthy for their ‘symphonic” writing and expressive melodies,
which set them apart from the decorative chamber music of many of his
contemporaries.
His
music has been recorded by, among others, the Musica Aeterna Soloists for the
Naxos record label.
