The importance of the Stamitz family in the development of 18th century European musical thought is well known; perhaps more well known than its actual music. And this is understandable since every member of the family seemed to focus not so much on breaking compositional ground, but on teaching, performance, or even some other interest peripheral to music. For instance Carl’s father Johann is remembered today primarily as the founding conductor of the legendary Mannheim Court Orchestra, a collective renowned for rigorously training the most promising young musicians of the day. In the family tradition, Carl studied with his father in Mannheim and performed as a second violinist with the orchestra, though eventually he left because the competition there became too intense. We also know that during the final thirty-one years of his life Carl prolifically composed as he traveled from post to post throughout Europe, but he eventually gave up music altogether, turning to his long standing obsession with alchemy.
Since Stamitz the younger’s primary importance today in history of music rests in the development of symphonic form in general and the sinfonia concertante in particular, it’s not surprising that these chamber pieces sound like minor works by a minor master. This is not to in any way diminish or discount the value of Stamitz’s efforts, since beauty, elegance, and charm are qualities as enjoyable now as in the composer’s day. At times Stamitz does take a few chances, such as in the trio in E flat major where he creates a clever, unorthodox dialogue between the flute and horn. Such instances though are few, and never disturb the formal regularity of the music. As usual, the Camerata Köln sounds splendid, delivering performances as alert and vital as these works will likely ever enjoy. CPO’s sonics also rise to their usual high standard. Recommended to all those fond of the Classical tradition.
