Another Musical Treat

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.

I continue to be impressed by the amount, variety, and quality of music that exists outside the realm of the musical giants.