These sonatas, for harp with violin and (in three cases) ad libitum cello accompaniment, clearly were intended for the home, just like Haydn’s piano trios. Johann Krumpholtz in fact was well known in Haydn’s circle, particularly in London where his works featured on some of the same concerts as Haydn’s new symphonies. Comparatively speaking, Krumpholtz was a musical “lightweight”, composing music of charm and grace but little more (though there’s a lot to be said for those qualities by themselves). The harp writing is thoroughly pianistic in conception, the tunes pretty, the range of keys limited, and Krumpholtz avoids the minor ones like death itself. So don’t expect any major revelations.
Taking the foregoing as given, if you want some really pleasant background music, this disc is just your ticket. None of the works is too long, and there are very few actual dead spots. Krumpholtz’s melodic fluency is very well caught by these performers, with Andrea Vígh playing a lovely harp and violinst Vilmos Szabadi offering gorgeous timbres in music that may not be demanding but that also doesn’t have to sound nearly as attractive as these players make it. For quiet evenings at home, radio play, waiting rooms, and restaurants, this music has as much appeal now as when it was written, essentially (let’s face it) for this same perfectly honorable purpose. The performances deliver the goods, then, and the sonics are first rate too. [3/9/2004]
