Melos Ensemble - Hummel: Septet, Quintet, Weber: Grand Quintetto (1991)

This well re-mastered disc is a generous compilation of two former LPs. The Hummel, recorded in 1965, was originally one LP and the Weber, recorded in 1959, was the other. The two Hummel works were written in 1812 (Quintet) and 1816 (Septet) and the Weber quintet was completed in 1815 having been started some four years earlier in 1811.

Hummel and Weber both belong to the generation of composers who started in service and, during their lives, made the transition to becoming independent freelance musicians. Hummel was much admired as a virtuoso pianist and most of his works feature the piano in some form or another. Apart from the 8 piano concertos and solo piano works there are also these two chamber works of considerable note. Both are unusually scored with the quintet substituting the cello for the double bass and the Septet being scored for piano, flute, oboe, horn, viola cello and double bass. Both Beethoven and Berlioz admired Hummel as a composer and these two works do not disappoint. They are typically tuneful and lively works, skilfully written, and offering much to interest the ear and the mind throughout. The performances here are simply superb.

Weber too was much admired as a composer during his lifetime. He wrote several works for clarinet with Heinrich Barmann, a virtuoso clarinettist, in mind. The quintet was the last of the works to be composed and followed the two concertos and the concertino. Barmann was a great admirer of Weber and preferred to adapt the construction of his clarinet in order to solve the technical problems of the music rather than to take up Weber's offer to change the music. The performance here has all the necessary wit and humour coupled with plenty of virtuosity as demonstrated particularly in the last two movements. This virtuosity is not at the expense of musical concerns unlike some recent performances that turn the pieces into displays of digital dexterity. The recording defies its age and can still compete with the best available.

This is a very generous disc filled with important music played superlatively and recorded very well indeed. Regardless of its vintage it fully deserves to be considered as a front runner by anyone interested in the program. It should be noted that this disc is available within lower priced series such as the Australian version.