The Return of the Clarinet d'Amore

THE RETURN OF THE CLARINETTO D’AMORE PRESS FOLDER

Recently discovered music by the last court Kapellmeister of Regensburg Henri Joseph De Croes WORLD PREMIÈRE RECORDINGS ON PERIOD INSTRUMENTS





CONTENT TRACK INFO 4 PREFACE 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENT 7 ABOUT TERRA NOVA COLLECTIVE 8 THE RETURN OF THE CLARINETTO D’AMORE Vlad Weverbergh & David Vergauwen

16

THE CLARINETTE D’AMOUR: A BRIEF HISTORY Dr. Albert R. Rice

20

JEAN ARNOLD ANTOINE TUERLINCKX (1753-1827) MECHELEN’S MASTER LUTHIER 20 Vlad Weverbergh THE SYMPHONIC CULTURE AT THE REGENSBURGER COURT Dr. David Vergauwen

25

THE MUSICAL STYLE OF HENRI JOSEPH DE CROES Vlad Weverbergh

27

THE DISCOVERY OF A “NEW” SOLO BASSOON CONCERTO Jane Gower

28

THE RETURN OF THE CLARINETTO D’AMORE R e s ü m e e z u m P r o j e k t a u f D E U T S C H 3 0 R e s u m é d u p r o j e t e n F R A N Ç A I S 3 2 P r o j e c t s a m e n v a t t i n g i n h e t N E D E R L A N D S 34 PRESS REVIEWS 36

TERRA NOVA COLLECTIVE AVAILABLE DISCS 56



TRACK INFO CD 1

HENRI JOSEPH DE CROES

Symphony No. 2 in D Major 8] Adagio - Allegro Molto 09:10 9]Andante con Variazione 03:58 10] Menuetto 05:32 11] Allegro Molto 03:20 Terra Nova Collective/Vlad Weverbergh

Symphony No. 1 in E flat Major 1] Adagio - Allegro 06:59 2] Andantino 03:29 3] Menuetto Allegro 02:45 4] Rondo Presto 03:59 Terra Nova Collective/Vlad Weverbergh

ANONIMOIUS Concertante G Major for two clarinetti d’amore 12] Allegro 09:35 13] Adagio Romance 03:13 14] Rondo 05:21 Terra Nova Collective/Vlad Weverbergh/ Lisa Shklyaver, Diederik Ornée clarinetto d’amore

Bassoon Concerto in C Major 5] Allegro 11:27 6] Andantino 04:04 7] Rondo Allegretto 05:56 Terra Nova Collective/ Vlad Weverbergh/ Jane Gower bassoon

CD 2

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

HENRI JOSEPH DE CROES Partias for two clarinetti d’amore Partia 16-7 Partia 31-8 Partia 28-9 Partia 16-13 Partia 8-6 Partia 29-3 Partia 28-8 Partia 31-6 Partia 32-5 Partia 30-6 Partia 31-1 Partia 8-5 Partia 31-4 Partia 29-9 Partia 30-1 Partia 30-4 Partia 31-9 Partia 32-4

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 25 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Allegretto 3’31 Andante 0’50’’ Allegro 0’39’ Allemande Allegro 2’19 Andante 2’00’’ Allegretto 0’45’’ Adagio 2’09’’ Menuetto 1’51’’ Allegretto 2’09’’ Adagio 2’34’’ Allegro 3’31’’ Menuetto 3’18’’ Adagio 1’58’’ Allegro 0’38’’ Adagio-Allegro 5’29’’ Adagio 1’34’' Allegro 0’48’’ Adagio 1’26”

Partia 31-3 Partia 30-3 Partia 8-3 Partia 8-11 Partia 16-12 Partia 16-1 Partia 30-2 Partia 29-8 Partia 8-4 Partia 29-10 Partia 28-8 Partia 8-2 Partia 30-8 Partia 32-9 Partia 29-1 Partia 8-9 Partia 28-12 Partia 30-11

Allegro 0’51’’ Allegro 1’32’’ Allegro 1’36’’ Andante 1’00’’ Allegro 2’32’’ Andante-Allegro 5’21’’ Menuetto 2’00’’ Andante 1’58’’ Andante 1’40’’ Menuetto 1’36’’ Adagio 1’36’’ Andante 1’22’’ Allegro 1’35 Allegro 0’54’’ Allegro 2’35 Scherzo 1’18 Allegro 1’34 Andantino 4’32’’

Terra Nova Collective Jane Gower bassoon Vlad Weverbergh Vlad Weverbergh & Diederik Ornee clarinetto d’amore Benjamin Lescoat viola I Elisabeth Sordia viola II Ioan Baranga bass



PREFACE

The return of the clarinetto d’amore The challenge of developing classical repertoire

Vlad Weverbergh & David Vergauwen Innovation is one of the key challenges in the world of classical music today.

One can innovate by exploring new formats of performance, by finding and targeting new audiences, by discovering new repertoire, by recreating long-forgotten musical instruments or by coming up with new ideas on how to play existing instruments.

In any case, developing these new ideas and reflecting on them, often leads to new and surprising discoveries.

There was no shortage in the last couple of decades of discoveries. Forgotten composers were revived and their pieces performed with great succes. Still, finding a place for these discoveries within the modern musical landscape has proven considerably harder. Making the music we worked so hard for to discover, study and revive, a part of the repertoire of our cultural heritage, will most probably continue to be a considerable challenge.

The clarinet is a woodwind instrument, invented in Germany around 1700. By the middle of the nineteenth century – a period that also sparked the Belgian revolution - the clarinet was a very popular instrument that became a fixed feature in European music.

Clarinet workshops in Germany, Austria, England and France played a pivotal role in the technical development of the instrument and its repertoire. Even workshops in the so-called Austrian Netherlands (modern-day Belgium) made significant contributions in that regard.

“The Return of the Clarinetto d’Amore” clearly illustrates the importance of those Belgian workshops during the eighteenth century and not only sheds a new light on the history and development of clarinet-making in Europe, but also presents us with the opportunity to rediscover its repertoire.

The Return of the Clarinetto d’Amore is a unique musicological project. It combines years of research by dr. Albert Rice who was the first to publish on the ‘clarinet d’amour’ and mr. Miel Pieters, who was the first to digitalize the music of the last Kapellmeister of the Regensburg court orchestra: Henri Joseph de Croes. All the music recorded will also be published.

The long list of people we want to thank for helping realize this project can be found in the colophon. We would like to reserve a special thanks our sponsors, especially mr. Hugo Van der Heyden who helped model this project in a unique collaboration between the public and private sector and being a unique guide in managing this big challenge.



GENERAL CONTRACTORTS

bvba MHT Consult Bouwmanagement

Studiebureau Calcul bvba - Gooik ir-Arch Willy De Saeger - Gooik Staf Lenders - Bierbeek Fam. Van Der Taelen - Knokke

Hugo Van der Heyden Tollembeek



ACKNOWLEDGMENT

producer Vlad Weverbergh text & editing David Vergauwen executive producer Etcetera Records Dirk De Greef sound engineer Kristoffel de Laat edit & mastering Studio C www.studioc.be recording venue Concert hall AMWD Mortsel, Belgium recording dates 30 October - 2 November 2018 & 13-15 March 2019 Instruments Partias: clarinetto d’amore after Jean Antoine Tuerlinckx (1753-1827).

Anonymous double concerto: copy after Godfridus Adrianus Rottenburgh (1703-1768) Collection MIM Brussels.

Translation English bio Tuerlinckx Vertaalbureau Van Lokeren bvba art-direction & design Roman E. Jans www.romanontwerp.nl images & photos Rikkes Voss thanks to all the Terra Nova Collective’s musicians, Piet Stryckers, Roos & Geert Philips, Stef Coninx and the Flanders Arts Institute, Toshiyuki Shibata, David Vergauwen, Géry Dumoulin, Kevin Voets, Peter Knockaert, Gert Smet, Kazuhiko Shima, Piet De Neve, An Mercelis, Albert Gomperts, Jacqueline en Jos Vossius, Julien Weverbergh for their support and especially Miel Pieters for his tremendous years of research on De Croes.

Special thanks to Hugo Van der Heyden.

• KTC 1648 • 2CD



TERRA NOVA COLLECTIVE Developing classical repertoire

Since 2012, Terra Nova Collective brings together the artistic and creative vision of Vlad Weverbergh, and the musicological backbone of David Vergauwen. Ideas, research and development of new ways of programming are done in close collaboration.

Through the quality and energy of the musicians playing on period instruments, new insights come to life with concerts and lecture recitals. The immense investment involved in the research process pays lasting dividends in the availability of scores, online videos and high quality recordings.

A telling example is the revival of symphonies by Pieter Van Maldere, whose music was admired and performed by Joseph Haydn at Esterházy.

The value of these revived works become clear when presented in context with more familiar works of the western classical repertoire. With a fresh approach, Terra Nova Collective loves to shed its light on Mozart and Beethoven alike.



THE COLLECTIVE

Terra Nova Collective is based in Antwerp, Belgium – a city brimming with history. Its musicians are also connected to world-renowned ensembles such as Anima Eterna, Les Muffatti, B’Rock Orchestra, Les Agrémens, Freiburger Barockorchester, Concerto Köln, Le Concert d’Astrée and others.

Terra Nova Collective is proud to have the Musical Instruments Museum Brussels MIM, Vleeshuis Museum Antwerp and the Study Centre for Flemish Music as their research partners. It frequently invites eminent researchers to projects, such as Piet Stryckers (researcher and lecturer Royal Conservatoire Antwerp), Godelieve Spiessens (musicologist) and Albert R. Rice (musicologist, clarinettist).

In 2016, Terra Nova Collective gave the world première of the Missa Maria Assumpta by J.A. Faber, a Baroque mass containing the first ever solo for clarinet. The recording met with rave reviews in the international press, with Diapason writing about the ensemble, ‘magnificently doing justice to a palette of surprising colours.’

In season 2017–18, the recording and performances with a historical basset clarinet put Mozart’s famous concerto in a new light. In collaboration with the University of Antwerp, seven lesser known composers were presented in a series of 14 concerts, called Trouvailles.

Touring brought the ensemble in season 2018–19 at various places in New York City and at the Takamatsu Festival Musica Antiqua in Japan.



THE MUSICAL DIRECTOR The focus of Vlad Weverbergh (1977) is the rediscovery and performance of unjustly neglected composers and their music. For this reason, he founded the Terra Nova Collective in 2012 as artistic and musical director. He handpicked the musicians to create a flexible group in formation, with an adventurous drive to tackle its unique repertoire.

Vlad Weverbergh has specialized in historic clarinets and the modern bass clarinet.

His recordings include a series of world première recordings and the most important compositions for clarinet, notably Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto KV 622 on a historic basset clarinet. He conducted the world première recording of the Missa Maria Assumpta by J.A. Faber in 2016. The recording received great praise from the international music press, including the prestigious French magazine Diapason.

Vlad Weverbergh has collaborated with international artists of the stature of Frank Braley, Mate Scuzcs, Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, Vaclav Luks, the Danel Quartet and the Enescu Quartet.

As soloist and chamber musician, he is a regular guest with several ensembles in Belgium and abroad.

Vlad Weverbergh gives lecture recitals based on rediscovered works. He teaches chamber music and other subjects at the Kunsthumaniora in Antwerp and is bass clarinet professor at the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp.





THE MUSICOLOGIST

The research and dramaturgy of Dr. David Vergauwen form an integral part of Terra Nova Collective’s profile. Musicological research is embedded in a bigger perspective on history and the arts, reflecting David’s personal interests and studies. David is also an active member of Amarant, specialized in modern painting, opera and the history of music, with a preference for Belgian music.

David Vergauwen studied History, Art History and Musicology at the University of Ghent and Brussels and graduated with a PhD in History. He has written monographs on aspects of freemasonry, and of priesthood in the Middle Ages. He is a regular contributor to publications in his fields of study.

David Vergauwen teaches Art History in Bruges and is Research Fellow at the University of Antwerp and the Conservatoire. Amongst other endeavors, he currently contributes to a 2020 museum exhibition and concert series on The Late Romantic Era in Bruges, centered around the composer Joseph Ryelandt.



Clarinetto d’amore in G, copy after Godfridus Adrianus Rottenburgh (1703-1768) with kind permission of the MIM, Brussels 

THE SOLOISTS Jane Gower - bassoon

After gaining her Bachelor of Music degree from the Canberra School of Music in 1992, Jane undertook post-graduate studies in Early Music at The Royal Conservatory of The Hague.

She specialises on historical bassoons, ranging from the dulcian to early 20th century French instruments. Jane is principal bassoonist of Concerto Copenhagen, the Orchestra of the the Age of Enlightenment and Anima Eterna Brugge, also playing for many years as principal with the English Baroque Soloists and l’Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. She regularly tours with the acclaimed Australian Chamber Orchestra. An active chamber musician, in 1999 she founded the quartet for bassoon and strings island, which has released four CDs. In 2005 she was Musical Director of the Barossa Music Festival, South Australia, and in 2010 launched the chamber music series Barossa Klassik with Torbreck Vintners. With a growing collection of original bassoons on which she also performs, Jane is often invited as soloist. She has recorded three concertos of Franz Danzi with the Kölner Akademie and Mozart’s bassoon concerto with Anima Eterna. Her cadenzas and performance practice notes for this concerto were published by Bärenreiter. Most recently her recording of the infamously difficult bassoon parts of Zelenka’s six trio sonatas with the Prague-based Collegium 1704 was awarded a Diapason d’Or



Lisa Shklyaver - clarinetto d’amore

Lisa Shklyaver is one of the most interesting clarinet players of her generation. Her repertoire ranges from the earliest clarinet music on authentic instruments to contemporary works written for modern clarinet, both for solo performance and as a chamber music player.

Since 2013 Lisa Shklyaver is a principal clarinet of Anima Eterna Brugge conducting by Jos van Immerseel with whom she plays regularly as a chamber music partner. Their debut - CD “la clarinette française” has been released in 2014 by outhere music. In the same year Lisa Shklyaver has performed the original version for basset clarinet of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A major KV 622 with Anima Eterna and Jos van Immerseel in London, Munich and Antwerp.

Lisa Shklyaver is a guest of numerous festivals such as Beethovenfest Bonn, Sans Soussi Potsdam, Festival de La Chaise-Dieu, Festival Internacional Cervantino Mexico, Schleswig Holstein Festival, Festival d’Aix-enProvence. She is appearing in the major concert halls such as Concertgebouw Brugge, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Opera de Dijon, Kölner Philharmonie, Salle Pleyel Paris, Rudolfinum Prag, Lincoln Center New York, Opera House Sydney.

Diederik Ornée - clarinetto d’amore

Diederik Ornée (1983) studied modern clarinet with Herman Braune at the Amsterdam Conservatoire. After completing his bachelors degree, he studied modern clarinet with Prof. Chen Halevi and historical clarinet with Dr. Ernst Schlader at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Trossingen.

Diederik can be heard regularly throughout Europe as a soloist, an orchestral clarinetist and chamber musician, on both modern and historical instruments.

He performs regularly with ensembles including Anima Eterna, Barokopera Amsterdam, Het Nederlands Balletorkest, Holland Opera, Orfeo Orchestra Budapest, Apollo Ensemble and Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra.

Diederik has won numerous prizes, including a first prize in the Dutch National Competition 2001, the DAAD-prize (Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst), a special prize given by the Iris-Marquart foundation and a prize given by the Ministry of Baden-Württemberg for his contribution to the musical life at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik, Trossingen.

Diederik is a fixed member of the Rodion Trio on modern instruments (winner of the Zilveren Vork 2012, awarded by De Harmonie, Leeuwarden and winner of the International Chamber Music Competition Almere 2013) and the Apollo Ensemble, ranging from trio to full symphonic orchestra.

Terra Nova Collective line-up for current project Violins 1 Violins 2 Violas Cello Bass Horns Oboes Flutes Bassoons

Madoka Nakamura, (leader), Marianne Herssens, Izana Soria, Bernadette Bracke, (leader), Gisela Cammaert, Nooi Strynckx Marc Claes, (leader), Els de Jonghe, Benjamin Lescoat, viola1 cd2, Elisabeth Sordia, viola2 cd2 Edouard Catalan Ioan Baranga Bart Cypers 1, Pieter D’Hoe 2 Dymphna Vandenabeele1, Kaisa Sokolanka 2 Toshiyuki Shibata 1, Ida Febbraio 2 Jane Gower 1, Marine Falquevert 2

Lisa Schlyaver, clarinetto d’amore1&2 (cd1 & cd2) Diederik Ornée, clarinetto d’amore2 (cd1) Vlad Weverbergh, conductor (cd1) & clarinetto d’amore1 (cd2)



THE RETURN OF THE CLARINETTO D’AMORE Vlad Weverbergh & David Vergauwen

The superb court library of the Thurn und Taxis family in Regensburg contains many musical treasures, including the music of the almost forgotten Belgian composer Henri Joseph de Croes. Given that he composed works for the clarinetto d’amore, an instrument that is also practically forgotten, he immediately becomes twice as interesting.

The clarinetto d’amore has today completely disappeared from the concert stage; two replicas of this unusual instrument were therefore made especially for this recording. All of the works by De Croes that are presented on this CD are world première recordings. De Croes, however, was no obscure composer who wrote only for this curious instrument; he was a respected musician with an intriguing body of work. In order to provide a balanced overview of his output, we are also presenting examples of his symphonies and concertos here alongside his chamber works.

Henri Joseph de Croes was born in Brussels in 1758 and died in Regensburg in 1842. He was born two years after his illustrious contemporary and colleague Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Like Mozart, De Croes had a talented musician for a father who had won his spurs as leader of a typical central European court orchestra during the middle years of the 18th century. This father was Henri-Jacques de Croes (17051786), who had already become concert master of the court orchestra in Brussels in 1744. Between 1749 and his death in 1786 he worked as Kapellmeister to the court of Prince Charles of Lotharingen, the brother of the emperor who had been appointed as viceroy over the Austrian Netherlands. Henri Joseph de Croes grew up in this environment and was quickly recognized as being a superb violinist.

De Croes entered the service of the Thurn und Taxis family in 1776; this aristocratic family had been awarded the monopoly on postal and courier services within the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg territories by emperor Charles V. The family had lived in Mechelen since the 16th century and later moved to Brussels. The elder De Croes had also been in service to the Thurn und Taxis family before his appointment to the court of Charles V and had commuted back and forth between Brussels and Frankfurt with them from 1729 to 1744; he clearly remained on good terms with the Thurn und Taxis family, for his talented son entered their service when he turned eighteen years old.

De Croes’ new employer was Karl Anselm, Prince of the Thurn and Taxis court (1733-1805), who engaged him for the Prince’s family orchestra in Regensburg. Karl Anselm was a great lover of music and had expanded his court orchestra with a few of the most skilled virtuosi in Central Europe, these including the French violin player Joseph Touchemoulin, the Italian oboist Giovanni Palestrini, the Bohemian violin player Franz Xaver Pokorny and the Italian flautist Fiorante Agustinelli. The arrival of the young Belgian violist Henri Joseph de Croes fitted in perfectly with the Prince’s artistic policy. This was also the time when remarkable court orchestras could guarantee long-lasting fame that would echo far beyond its country’s borders; Karl Anselm’s efforts were well worthwhile. The orchestra of the Regensburg court was declared to be one of the best in German-speaking lands during the 1790s; its only rivals were the renowned Hofkapelle in Mannheim and the orchestra of the Esterházy’s with Joseph Haydn at its head.

Theodor Freiherr von Schacht (1748-1823) was De Croes’ direct superior in Regensburg. He too came from a highly musical family and had for a time been a pupil of the Napolitan composer Niccolo Jommelli, who had himself been employed in Stuttgart for many years. Von Schacht was not only a serviceable composer and producer of German and Italian operas but also an excellent diplomat who was able to shape the Regensburg court orchestra according to his employer’s wishes. When Von Schacht was later required to spend the



greater part of his time on diplomatic duties, the daily administration of the orchestra passed to Touchemoulin. Following the dismissal of Touchemoulin in 1798, the post went to the then forty-year-old De Croes, who had already composed a number of works for the court. We know of his Singspiel Der Zauberer (1782), concertos and two symphonies, as well as divertimenti for a novel type of wind ensemble in which the oboes were replaced with violas.

The death of Karl Anselm von Thurn und Taxis in 1805, the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and the tempest that Napoleon unleashed in the German-speaking world all combined to ensure that the court orchestra in Regensburg swiftly became an irrelevance. Theodor von Schacht left Regensburg for Vienna, other musicians also soon began to disperse. The new prince, Karl Alexander von Thurn und Taxis (1770-1827), seemed to be too busy with protecting his family’s interests to be able to maintain an expensive court orchestra.

This was a disastrous time for Henri Joseph de Croes as well. Two of his children had already died, followed by his wife, the singer Maria Augusta Houdier, in 1806. De Croes nonetheless remained in Regensburg but seems not to have composed much more after 1806.

His two extant symphonies are here recorded for the first time. The first was composed in 1782 and dates from before his appointment as Kapellmeister. This symphony is very much in the Mannheim style. The second symphony is more in the tradition set by Joseph Haydn. We have here also recorded the bassoon concerto by De Croes that is kept in the library of the Regensburg court.

Clarinetto d’amore: a revival and world première We should also give some attention to the remarkable instrument known as the clarinetto d’amore. The instrument has a clear link with the region of De Croes’ birth, given that such instruments were made by Francis Rottenburgh from Brussels and Jan and Cornelis Tuerlinckx from Mechelen, the leading European makers of wind instruments at that time amongst others.

The pear-shaped bell at the base of the instrument is a unique characteristic of the instrument and creates a tender, entreating timbre that is almost as sweet as honey; this felt as being particularly melodious in the time of the German Sturm und Drang. The clarinetto d’amore nonetheless went out of fashion and was forgotten. There are only seventy-one examples of the instrument to be found in museums and private collections worldwide: works composed specifically for the clarinetto d’amore are as rare as the instrument itself.

The anonymous concerto for two clarinetti d’amore that has survived in Regensburg is most probably not by De Croes, but it nonetheless demonstrates that the instrument was known and valued in Regensburg.

The Partias by De Croes form the heart of the second CD. A partia is a short movement that is generally a section of a larger suite. De Croes composed six sets of twelve partias between 1780 and 1794, these being made up of a series of highly amusing short movements. The selection of the partias that we present here has no connection with the order of the original sets. Our choice for two clarinetti d’amore gives the music a unique timbre, whilst the ensemble formed by two violas and double bass makes the sound as at once both nostalgic and also entertaining. The pieces were most likely intended for incidental music at banquets and, in contrast to the above concerto, were not required to display either brilliance or high virtuosity. The music is extremely refined and indeed recalls the grandeur of an 18th century court orchestra.





“reproduction with kind permission of the Fürst Thurn und Taxis Hofbibliothek und Zentralarchiv Regensburg”



The clarinette d’amour: a brief history Dr. Albert R. Rice

The clarinette d’amour is a member of the clarinet family constructed during the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth century. It was usually made in A, G, or F, in a straight form with a curved brass crook or curved wooden barrel at the top, and a globular or bear-shaped bell at the bottom. The bell shape imitates that of the earlier oboe d’amore, mainly for appearance as the shape darkens the tone of only the lowest two or three notes. After about 1800, a few soprano clarinets were made in C, B, or A with globular bells, but these instruments lack the distinctive tone colour of the lower-pitched clarinets.

More than 71 antique clarinettes d’amour survived, the earliest, with three keys, made in southern Germany and Vienna from about 1740 to 1760 by Dotzell (southern Germany), Kraus (southern Germany), Rockobauer (Vienna) the Stinglwagners (Triftern), and G. Walch (Berchtesgarden). From 1760 to 1800, four- and five- key examples were made by Deginan (Ghent), Frölich (Dettelbach), the Gehrings (Leipzig), F. Königsberger (Roding), F. Löhner I (Nuremberg), Raingo (Mons), G. A. Rottenburgh (Brussels), J. Schlegel (Basel), Scholl (Vienna), the Stinglwagners, and Tuerlinckx (Mechlin). From 1800 to about 1850, 6- to 14-key instruments were made by Collin (Paris), Schürer (Rottenthal), Jeantet (Lyon), Franco (Italy), Cramer & Son (London), Krahuletz (Leitomischl), P. De Azzi (Venice), Lesti (Ancona), and Heckel (Biebrich). Five-key models are the most common and several examples were later modernized by the addition of saddle- or pillar-mounted keys.

Early nineteenth century Italian clarinetti d’amore made by S. Cerino (Turin), Lancé (Turin), Venera (Turin), Castlas (Turin), and Piana (Milan) share similarities of construction. All have a dark wood mouthpiece, convex barrel, brass crook, left-hand joint, right-hand one-piece joint-stock, and bulb bell. These instruments were used in orchestras and wind bands. After 1850, the clarinette d’amour was seldom used although the Heckel Company continued to make them on special order during the early 20th century.

Eighteenth century scores and parts for G clarinets d’amour and G alto clarinets are both marked “G clarinette” or “Clarinette in G”, so identifying which instrument was meant is often impossible. Written accounts of these instruments are no clearer because they do not describe the bell shape. The earliest work for G clarinet is F. J. Gossec’s 1760 “Missa pro defunctis” (published in 1780 as the Messe des morts). Valentin Roeser in his instrumentation treatise Essai d’instruction (Paris, 1764) describes the G clarinet as the sweetest type, although rare because its part could be played on other clarinets. The 1770 inventory of the Copenhagen court orchestra includes “two brown fourth clarinets” (2 brune Quart-Clarinette) that were likely clarinets in F, probably clarinettes d’amour. In 1772 and 1773, Jeremias Schlegel of Basel sent two pairs of “low sweet clarinets” (tiefe douce Clarinet) and four dozen clarinet reeds to the Munich court. An anonymous Principes de Clarinette (Paris, ca. 1775) illustrates in the fingering chart, a clarinet with pear-shaped bell similar to an extant four-key clarinet d’amour by J. Schlegel. Among several porcelain figures of musicians (ca. 1780-85) in the Schloss Museum in Jever, Germany, are two clarinet d’amour players. In 1782, the Belgian maker J. A. A. Tuerlinckx listed the “clarinet d’amoer” in his account book. In 1793, the Berlin music dealer J. C. F. Rellstab advertised “a clarinette d’amour or G clarinet by Grundmann” for two Louis d’or. Giuseppe Donizetti Paşa, brother of the composer Gaetano Donizetti, introduced the G clarinet called “love clarinet” (aşk klârneti) to the orchestra of the Turkish court of Mahmud II, where it was played from 1828 to 1839.

Instrument works scored with G clarinets include two double concertos by J. V. Knĕžek (1780s) and chamber music by Johann Stamitz, Michael Haydn, H. J. de Croes, T. von Schacht, and others. Wind band music includes J. J. Rousseau’s March (1770s) for two G clarinets, and J. C. Bach’s two Marches for the Queen’s Dragoons (ca. 1780), including two B “clarinetto d’amor”. By 1800, the use of the instrument in France and England had decreased. In Italy, J. S. Mayr of Bergamo called the instrument a “clarone” or “clarinetto dolce” and described it in G with extra joints (corps de rechange). Mayr also wrote three sacred works dating from the 1820s or 1830s: Lamentazione terza with two G clarinets; Qui Sedes for “clarinetto dolce in Alafa” (clarinette d’amour in A) in Gloria Patri. Because surviving music for the clarinette d’amour is scarce, it may be assumed that its players performed the music on a normal clarinet, and other parts were transposed. By the mid-1830s, French, English, and German makers began to construct straight-shaped alto clarinets for use in military bands and thereafter clarinettes d’amour were rarely made. (Based on Albert R. Rice, “Clarinet d’amour” in The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, 2nd ed., ed. L. Libin, New York: Oxford University Press, 2014, vol. 1, 564-5).



Clarinetto d’amore in G, copy after Jean Antoine Tuerlinckx (1753-1827) with kind permission of the MIM, Brussels 

Jean Arnold Antoine Tuerlinckx, Mechelen’s master luthier Vlad Weverbergh

Whenever possible the Terra Nova Collective makes use of historical instruments for its performance of historical compositions. Until 2018 there were no playable clarinettes d’amour still in existence. For this reason, these instruments had to be specially built for the realization of the concert project and the CD recordings.

The MIM, the Brussels-based museum of musical instruments, was prepared to lend its assistance and agreed to a painstakingly precise examination of its prized collection of clarinets.

In the event, two different pairs were built for the two CDs. For the double concerto on CD1 copies were used of a clarinette d’amour built by Godfridus Adrianus Rottenburgh, while copies of clarinettes d’amour built by Jean Arnold Antoine Tuerlinckx were used for the “partias” on CD2.

As CD2 constitutes the bulk of the recordings and numerous articles have already considered Godfridus Adrianus Rottenburgh, the present article concentrates on Jean Arnold Antoine Tuerlinckx.

The Tuerlinckx workshops were active in Mechelen successively under the Austrian, French and Dutch regimes but ceased trading in about 1840.

Jean Arnold Antoine Tuerlinckx (1753-1827) started the business in 1782 and died in 1827. His son Corneille Jean Joseph Tuerlinckx (1783-1855) then took over and continued the firm started by his father. By then however the best years for high quality instruments were already in the past. By the middle of the 19th century it had become virtually impossible to compete with other local instrument builders and large foreign companies started to flood the market with relatively cheap instruments. Jean Arnold Antoine called such products “objets de bazar”.

In about 1840 the once so-flourishing business ceased trading. Corneille Jean Joseph Tuerlinckx had also become an admired composer and a collector of coins and fossils. Furthermore, he was less obsessed with instrument building than his father. He died in 1855. The year after his death, the workshop and the remaining instruments were sold.

Little is known about the production and trade in wind instruments during the ancien régime, because musical instrument makers did not fall under a separate guild before the 19th century. If you wanted to make and sell wooden instruments you had to be a member of the guild of the joiners, the turners, the coffin makers or another guild that involved working wood. The makers of trumpets and other metal instruments by contrast had to belong to the guild of the copper founders, the coppersmiths, or the silver and goldsmiths.

You could go to Jean Arnold Antoine not just for a clarinet or an oboe, but also if you wanted a bow and arrows. He himself was a respected bowman and was counted as the best archer of his town and of all Flanders. Eventually the Tuerlinckx firm used two workshops, one next to the other, one for metal working and the other for building and repairing wooden instruments. To give an idea of production rates, it would take a worker 20 days to make six flutes.

Although the workshops were located in Mechelen, the family hailed originally from Aarschot. The Tuerlinckx family had long been known as clockmakers and woodworkers there. Jean Arnold Antoine Tuerlinckx was born in Aarschot on 22 November 1753 and had shown skill as a turner at an early age. Customers came from far and wide for his perfectly turned arrows and bows. He also repaired large clocks, as a result of which he acquired metalworking skills in addition to his woodworking abilities. Jean Arnold Antoine regularly visited his brother, a clarinettist, who had settled in Mechelen. When this brother turned 18 he bought a clarinet from Paris, which Jean Arnold studied with care, copied and gave to the influential Baron Coloma, president of Mechelen’s music ensemble. The Baron was so impressed by the perfection of the instrument and the skill of the young Jean Arnold Tuerlinckx that he ordered three bassoons from him and saw to it that Jean Arnold and his wife, Catherina Meikens, were given permission to take up residence in Mechelen in a house called Den Bloempot in Kathelijnestraat, where Tuerlinckx was able to open a shop and set up a workshop.

Towards the end of the 18th century the production of musical instruments in these parts grew strongly



because of the presence of foreign armies, all with their own bands and ensembles. Similarly, the number of amateur musicians grew sharply, and these people formed into brass bands and wind orchestras. These were the conditions that ensured the success of a shop and workshop for the purchase and repair of high quality musical instruments in Mechelen.

The “Wekelijks Bericht” (a weekly publication) for the Province of Mechelen for 3 March 1782 announced that Jean Arnold Antoine Tuerlinckx “alle soorten blaesende instrumenten maekt: als clarinetten, fluyten, zoo enkel als dobbel, hautbois, bassons etc. Maekt ook schiet-pijlen zo voor Hand-Bogen als Kruys-Bogen, ende bogen tot dezelfde noodig welken stiel noyt binnen Mechelen geoefend is. Hij verkoopt ook alle soorten porcelijnen en zal eenieder naer genoegen in alles trachten te bedienen tot eenen civielen prijs toe”. (makes all kinds of wind instruments, such as clarinets, flutes, both single and double, oboes, bassoons, etc. He also makes arrows for both hand bows and crossbows and bows of such a craft that has never been practiced in Mechelen before. He sells all kinds of porcelain and shall try to serve everybody to their satisfaction at a fair price).

The specialty of the house would shortly include instruments of the woodwind family including transverse flutes, flutes, clarinets, bassoons, and oboes, although Jean Arnold Tuerlinckx would soon also be supplying trumpets, horns and percussion instruments to his clientele. These included drums, timpani, timbales, and Turkish crescents. His activities did not go unremarked in the town. A year after he settled in Mechelen the magistrates granted him an annual exemption for several barrels of beer “ter contemplatie van syne ervarenheyt in het maeken van clarinetten, bassons ende fluts travercier ende de vreemdelingen die hierdoor binnen deze stad is attirerende” (in admiration of his experience in making clarinets, bassoons and transverse flutes and the strangers who are attracted to the town as a result).

The name and fame of the new instrument builder in Mechelen was quickly established in musical circles and not just locally. From the very start the best customers came from the Netherlands. An accounts’ book that starts in circa 1782 shows that the first large orders date from 1784. One such large customer, a certain Mr. Hartisveld of Rotterdam was sent recorders, was sent flutes, clarinets, horns, bassoons, transverse flutes, trumpets and harps. Hartigsveld apparently had a business in musical instruments. Dutch businessmen became and continued to be faithful customers and included Reynders, Zoutgraff and Hummel from Amsterdam and others from Rotterdam, Zutphen, Breda and Utrecht.

Of course, Tuerlinckx also repaired and built instruments for musicians all over Belgium. His clientele in-



cluded both professional musicians, amateurs, instrument retailers, as well as military and civil companies, who often purchased the entire set of instruments required for the ensemble.

Foreign military musical bands, passing through Mechelen, not only bought new instruments, but had numerous repairs to existing instruments done by Tuerlinckx. They, together with the numerous local “Sociétés Harmoniques”, many of which were established between 1800 and 1850, laid the foundations of the success of the Tuerlinckx business. The nineties were a period of intense activity for the manufacture in instruments. Tuerlinckx made, sold, rented and repaired instruments, including grand pianos, in the Netherlands, France and Germany.

In 1806 the firm moved to the Leegheidstraat, Mechelen. At the height of its success, Tuerlinckx employed 40 workers, who worked in two separate workshops standing next to one another. One of these was for the brass instruments, while the other, larger, one was for the wooden instruments. The good quality of the firm’s products was the subject of universal praise.

The number of orders started to drop sharply as of 1815. Not only had the eager customers in the various foreign armies left the country after the peace of 1815 but also the number of competitors was growing steadily. Some of these indeed went so far as to sell instruments made by other hands under the Tuerlinckx name. He responded by offering a handsome reward for information that would lead to the exposure of the forgers.

Notes written in the hand of Jean Arnold Antoine Tuerlinckx reveal that he continued to remain abreast of the rapid changes taking place in instrument building at the end of the 18th century, including the use of multiple keys on clarinets, flutes and oboes; the modified sounds of brass instruments; keys and valves.

To maintain his reputation, he had to know how to use new inventions such as the bass clarinet introduced by Gresner of Dresden in 1793, the Russian oboe, Ivan Muller’s clarinet with 13 keys, the bass trumpet and the bugle. Tuerlinckx recorded numerous remarks on loose leaves in small notebooks, including notes about the tablature of the Russian bassoon, the bassoon, the serpent, the threehole flute, clarinets and “la tablature pour la nouvelle clarinette à 13 clefs, par Muller Iwan”.

When during the Austrian period various military bands passed through Mechelen, they gave him a chance to familiarize himself with the new instruments.

When the various allied armies marched through Belgium, he was inspired by instruments built in Germany, Switzerland, France, England, Austria and elsewhere.

All his instruments were signed TUERLINCKX MECHELEN or TUERLINCKX MALINES and stamped in several different places.

Op 19 december 1827 sterft in zijn werkhuys Arnoldus-Antonius Tuerlinckx, musiek-instrument maeker (on 19 December 1827 Arnoldus-Antonius Tuerlinckx maker of musical instruments died in his workshop. As we have already seen his son continued the business although it soon lost its leading position.



The Symphonic Culture at the Regensburger Court Dr. David Vergauwen

Many orchestras founded during the eighteenth century tried to emulate the example of Mannheim. The Regensburger Hoforchester was no exception. In 1748 the family of Thurn und Taxis, originally from Italian descent, decided to move their seat of power from Brussels and Frankfurt to Regensburg. Since the beginning of the sixteenth century, the family had found a home in Brussels. They built a large city palace and funded a chapel in the local church of Our Lady (Sablon) where members of the family were burried. The family had made its fortune as the owners of the largest post-network in Europe. Brussels, the heart of Europe then as well as today, was an excellent headquarters from which to conduct their operations. They were great patrons of the arts, commissioning amongst other things large tapisseries from local workshops, today in Regensburg. The family of Thurn und Taxis were non-nobles in the fifteenth century, but were promoted by Emperor Leopold I to the rank of Imperial Princes (Reichsfürsten) in 1695. At the time they were one of the richest families within the empire.

We are ill informed about the musical life at the Thurn und Taxis Residence in Brussels up until the middle of the eighteenth century. A document dated 1739 gives us the first clue to the existence of a court orchestra.



“reproduction with kind permission of the Fürst Thurn und Taxis Hofbibliothek und Zentralarchiv Regensburg”

During the eighteenth century most smaller German principalities within the borders of the Holy Roman Empire realized they were no match for the greater powers of Prussia, Austria, France, Russia, or even Saxony and Bavaria. In terms of their military strength, economic power and diplomatic influence, they were but small fish in a rather large pond. That is why some of them embarked on expensive projects that were meant to show their dominance in another field altogether: culture. These princes were by no means poor and they were able to spend large sums of money on lavish building projects to create magnificent castles, gardens or theaters or to accumulate huge art collections that would become the envy of their peers. Some of them spent their money on music, building excellent orchestras, centred around one or two famous composers and their vision on contemporary music. Most famous amongst them was Carl Theodor, prince-elector of the Palatinate, who by mid-century could boast the most famous orchestra in Europe. Thanks to his Kapellmeister, Johan Stamitz, this Mannheimer Hoforchester set the standard for orchestral music in Germany for decades to come. Carl Theodor knew he could not compete with the big boys on the international stage and his army would be next to useless should he ever find himself pitched against France, Austria or Prussia, but everybody who was anybody in the eighteenth century knew who Carl Theodor, the magnificent prince, was, since he was the creator and protector of Europe’s most marvellous orchestra that invented the modern symphonic style. Visitors from all over Europe flocked to Mannheim in order to hear its symphonies.

This orchestra seems to have been populated by foreign musicians, since their names sound Italian (Schiovanette), German (Denner) or French (Regnix). Other names belong to the great musical families of Brussels (Boutmy). The leader of the orchestra was one Henri Jacques De Croes, who entered the service of the family Thurn und Taxis in 1729.

In 1748 the family decided to move to Regensburg. Most musicians, including De Croes, were either sacked or decided to stay in Brussels. In Regensburg however, a new court orchestra was formed and an “état de la musique” of 1755 shows that at that time the Prince employed fourteen musicians and a Kapellmeister named Joseph Riepel. A simular list dated 1766 clearly shows that the orchestra had doubled in size over the course of a decade. The most expensive musician on the list was the French flute player Joseph Touchemoulin who had been recruted from Cologne after the death of prince-bishop Clemens August Wittelsbach in 1791. He took over the orchestra after the death of Kapellmeister Riepel in 1784.

The orchestra seems to have increased in quality as well as quantity with the engagement in 1771 of Hofkavalier Theodor Freiherr von Schacht, who wanted to turn the Regensburger Hoforchester into one of the best in Germany. He soon found an ally in the new Prince, Carl Anselm von Thurn und Taxis, who had a great fondness for Italian music and opera. A document dated 1775 mentions 24 musicians in the service of the prince, most of them Italian or Bohemian. Some of them were well known musicians who seem to have been attracted to increase the overall quality of the orchestra. Amongst them was Henri De Croes from Brussels, a young violinist and son of Henri Jacques De Croes. The orchestra continued to grow all through the 1770s, with 28 musicians and a court soprano in 1777 and 37 musicians and 3 singers in 1782. During the 1780s the size of the orchestra remained stable and their number settled around 40.

The orchestra was used to entertain. When prominent guests, like emperor Joseph II, came to visit, the orchestra would be ordered to play during the banquet and the ball given in his honour. In autumn, winter and spring the orchestra was obliged to give a weekly performance in which they played symphonies or concertos. During the summer they played outside in the palace garden. The court musicians also played in the theater whenever they were ordered to do. On special occasions, the orchestra was also employed in the church. They played passion cantatas or funeral music on the death of a family member. With all these responsibilities, it is no wonder that most of the orchestra members were lodged on the castle grounds and could only leave those grounds after having asked for permission to do so.

The repertoire in Regensburg was extremely rich and diverse. When Theodor von Schacht took charge of the orchestra, one of the first things he did was to organize the music library. Copies of scores were made in Regensburg by copyists who were most probably members of the orchestra. A catalogue, made by Von Schacht in 1790 lists no less than 1319 symphonies by at least 157 composers (some scores are anonymous). Amongst them were symphonies by Haydn and Mozart. Only at the beginning of the nineteenth century did the music library order printed scores from music publishers in Vienna or Paris. In 1803 the court payed a large sum to a publisher in Paris to obtain the scores of Haydn’s symphonies.

The symphonic culture in Regensburg declined after 1798. Due to the war with France, the princes had lost control over their post-services in key parts of the continent. Touchemoulin, a very expensive musician, was dismissed and was replaced by De Croes. A document dated 1800 shows that the orchestra still comprised of 24 musicians, but its budget was only half of what it had been in 1790. The orchestra was still 23 musicians strong when it was disbanded in 1806. That year the Holy Roman Empire ceased to exist and the princes of Thurn und Taxis lost their “Prinzipalkommissariat der Fürsten”. It was the end of a rich symphonic era that lasted about forty years.



The Musical Style of Henri Joseph de Croes Vlad Weverbergh

“reproduction with kind permission of the Fürst Thurn und Taxis Hofbibliothek und Zentralarchiv Regensburg”

The two known symphonies by Henri Joseph de Croes were written at different junctures in his career and are separated in time by almost two decades. The first symphony, written in 1782, is clearly marked by the characteristics of the Late Mannheimer Style in general and by the symphonic style of Christian Cannabich in particular. A key hallmark of Cannabich’s symphonies is the slow introduction at the beginning of the first part of the symphony that leads immediately into a rather spectacular and energetic allegro molto. Having met Cannabich in Mannheim, Mozart would use exactly such an introduction in the first movement of his Paris symphony (KV 297) of 1778, precisely because he knew Cannbich’s symphonies were widely appreciated there. The two-middle section of the symphony were factured after the galant style, typical for the Mannheimer Schule and the symphony concludes with a spectacular finale in which de Croes uses a trademark formula involving an up-beat in his second theme, which can also be found in his other works, as well as in the bassoon concerto.

It is impossible to say how many symphonies de Croes would and could have composed during his lifetime, but the more modern style and structure of the second symphony, compels us to speculate that the composer must have matured during the intermediate decades. The first movement of the second symphony, written around 1800, again opens with a slow introduction, this time in the minor, immediately followed by an energetic allegro in the style of Cannabich. The second movement seems to deviate from the Mannheimer formula and is written in a theme-in-variation-form in which the various soloists are given ample opportunity to create a rich palet of colours. The symphony concludes with an intoxicating tarantella and a ravishing alla caccia on the horn, in a way that is reminiscent to the symphonic style of Joseph Haydn.

Both symphonies are galant, have an affable and original construction, infused with the surprises and effects of Sturm und Drang. The most unique sounding compositions are perhaps the partias on cd2 in which the composer truly finds a voice of his own. He tends to use the middle voices - and the violas in particular – as a way to create a darker, more sensitive sound, bordering on the melancholic. In these compositions, de Croes clearly shows himself as a delicate and erudite composer of the Galant Style.



The discovery of a “new” solo bassoon concerto Jane Gower

The discovery of a “new” solo bassoon concerto is certainly something to be excited about. Even when not a masterpiece, it is still such an unexpected gift to our relatively meagre repertoire that we bassoonists can get quite worked-up. When Vlad Weverbergh told me late one night that he had a really excellent (Belgian!) bassoon concerto for me to play, I apparently looked doubtful, if not downright scornful, and said along the lines of “yeah, SURE you do!” Well, since preparing and recording it with him and his wonderful band, I am eating my words. The concerto by Henri Joseph de Croes is indeed a great piece, and a really worthy addition to our solo literature.

The most famous bassoon concerto is of course Mozart’s early K.191, a true masterpiece. His reputed four others having tragically disappeared, we have had to content ourselves with some other “ok, definitely worth playing” classical concertos such as those by J.C.Bach, Kozeluch, Vanhal and Devienne. It’s not until C.M. von Weber’s operatic extravaganza of 1811 that we have something really to boast about; certainly nothing that modern bassoonists can regularly be bothered with. Of course, this can also be explained by the fact that these transitional classical-romantic compositions are very much dependent on the specific qualities of the period instruments and performers they were intended for - their idiosyncrasies, colours and techniques. They tend to be pushing the limits both of the performers and the instruments in terms of technique and virtuosity, and so it makes sense that when played on a modern bassoon (on which they are quite unchallenging), one misses the drama and the inherent risk-taking, as well as the individual tonal palettes and altered balance in the orchestral interplay.

An earlier great discovery for me was of the five concertos of Franz Danzi, (three of which I recorded) which are truly neglected. They really are jewels of idiomatic early romantic bassoon writing, with lyricism, humour, thoroughly well-worked architecture, and rich orchestral colour. The De Croes concerto can in many ways be compared to these pieces in style, range and quality. De Croes builds a proper grand romantic concerto opening with a thoroughly worked orchestral exposition, before the solo bassoon enters as part of the wind section of horns and oboes - as if to slyly remind the performer not to get too pretentious! The writing exploits many of the bassoon’s abilities and most-loved characteristics for tenor-register lyricism, rapid-fire staccato passage-work, large leaps across the register and comic effects. As in the Mozart concerto, the bassoon is often in eager dialogue with the violins, emphasising the instrument’s multiple roles; as melodicist, wind section member, and bass instrument. The middle movement in particular is very beautiful with its lilting, cantabile, beguiling character, whilst the finale is a comic romp.



 “reproduction with kind permission of the Fürst Thurn und Taxis Hofbibliothek und Zentralarchiv Regensburg”

THE RETURN OF THE CLARINETTO D’AMORE Vlad Weverbergh & David Vergauwen F R A N Ç A I S La remarquable bibliothèque de la cour princière de Thurn und Taxis, à Ratisbonne, renferme

de nombreux trésors musicaux, parmi lesquels les partitions de Henri Joseph de Croes, un compositeur bruxellois tombé dans l’oubli. Le fait que Henri Joseph de Croes ait notamment composé pour la clarinette d’amour, un instrument lui aussi largement oublié, en fait un personnage intrigant à double titre.

La clarinette d’amour a aujourd’hui totalement disparu des lieux de concert. Deux exemplaires de cet instrument particulier ont d’ailleurs dû être reconstruits à l’identique spécialement pour cet enregistrement.

Toutes les pièces reprises sur cet album CD ont donc été enregistrées en première mondiale. Henri Joseph de Croes n’était pourtant pas un compositeur obscur qui n’écrivait que pour cet instrument rare. Il était au contraire un musicien respecté et l’auteur d’un répertoire fascinant.

Pour brosser de lui un portrait complet, nous présentons, en plus de sa musique de chambre, ses symphonies et concerti en exclusivité.

Henri Joseph de Croes (Bruxelles 1758 - Ratisbonne 1842) est né deux ans après Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Comme son illustre contemporain autrichien, De Croes a eu un père musicien de talent, qui a gagné ses galons comme chef d’un orchestre de cour typique de l’Europe centrale du milieu du XVIIIe siècle.

Henri Jacques de Croes (1705-1786) a en effet accédé au poste de premier violon de l’orchestre de la cour de Bruxelles en 1744. Entre 1749 et son décès en 1786, il a été maître de chapelle du prince Charles-Alexandre de Lorraine, frère de l’empereur et gouverneur des Pays-Bas autrichiens. C’est dans ce milieu qu’a grandi Henri Joseph de Croes, qui s’est rapidement révélé être un excellent violoniste.

En 1776, Henri Joseph de Croes est entré au service de la famille Thurn und Taxis. Cette vieille famille noble, qui détenait le monopole des services de postes et de diligences dans l’Empire et les territoires Habsbourgeois depuis Charles Quint, résidait depuis le XVIe siècle à Malines, puis à Bruxelles. Avant sa nomination à la cour de Charles-Alexandre, son père, Henri Jacques de Croes, avait lui-même aussi été au service du prince de Thurn und Taxis: entre 1729 et 1744, il avait même fait des allers-retours avec lui entre ses résidences de Bruxelles et Francfort. Il avait de toute évidence continué à entretenir de bonnes relations avec la famille.

C’est ainsi qu’à l’âge de 18 ans, son talentueux fils a pu entrer au service de la Maison de Thurn und Taxis.

Le nouvel employeur de Henri Joseph de Croes, le prince Karl Anselm von Thurn und Taxis (1733-1805), l’a engagé à la chapelle princière de la famille à Ratisbonne. Karl Anselm était un grand amateur de musique, qui a amplement développé l’orchestre de la Maison en y adjoignant les meilleurs virtuoses d’Europe centrale, comme le violoniste français Joseph Touchemoulin, le hautboïste italien Giovanni Palestrini, le violoniste bohémien Franz Xaver Pokorný et le flûtiste italien Fiorante Agustinelli. L’arrivée du jeune violoniste flamand Henri Joseph de Croes, alors âgé de 18 ans, s’inscrivait parfaitement dans sa vision. À cette époque, un orchestre de cour de qualité pouvait apporter au potentat local une certaine notoriété, allant bien au-delà des limites de son territoire. Les efforts de Karl Anselm ont porté leurs fruits. Dans les années 1790, l’orchestre de la cour de Ratisbonne a été considéré comme l’un des meilleurs du monde germanophone. Seuls la célèbre Mannheimer Hofkapelle et l’orchestre de la famille Esterházy, dirigé par Joseph Haydn, pouvaient soutenir la comparaison. À Ratisbonne, Theodor Freiherr von Schacht (1748-1823) était le supérieur direct De Croes. Lui aussi issu d’une famille de musiciens, il avait été un temps l’élève du Napolitain Niccolò Jommelli, qui a travaillé à Stuttgart pendant des années. En plus d’un compositeur respectable et d’un producteur d’opéras allemands et italiens, Von Schacht était un diplomate adroit qui a su donner forme à la chapelle princière de Ratisbonne en s’adaptant aux demandes de son employeur. Lorsqu’il a commencé à s’occuper davantage d’affaires di-



plomatiques, la direction journalière de la chapelle a été confiée à Touchemoulin. Après la démission de ce dernier, en 1798, l’honneur est revenu à Henri Joseph de Croes, alors âgé de 40 ans, qui était déjà l’auteur de diverses compositions pour la cour. Nous connaissons notamment le Singspiel Der Zauberer de 1782, des concerti et deux symphonies, ainsi que des divertimenti composés pour une formation inédite de vents, où des hautbois remplacent les altos.

Après le décès de Karl Anselm von Thurn und Taxis en 1805, la dissolution du Saint-Empire romain germanique et la tempête déclenchée par Napoléon dans le monde germanophone, l’orchestre princier de Ratisbonne a rapidement perdu sa pertinence. Theodor von Schacht a quitté Ratisbonne pour Vienne et les autres musiciens ont également commencé à se disperser. Le nouveau prince, Karl Alexander von Thurn und Taxis (1770-1827), a sans doute eu trop de peine à sauvegarder les intérêts de sa famille pour pouvoir se préoccuper encore d’entretenir une coûteuse chapelle princière.

Sur le plan personnel, De Croes a également vécu une période tragique. Après avoir perdu deux enfants, il a vu décéder son épouse, la chanteuse Maria Augusta Houdier, en 1806. Le compositeur est néanmoins resté à Ratisbonne, mais il est probable qu’il n’ait plus guère composé après 1806. Ses deux symphonies connues ont été enregistrées pour la première fois dans le cadre du présent projet. La première (1782) est antérieure à sa nomination en tant que maître de chapelle et se rapporte au style de Mannheim. La seconde s’inscrit davantage dans la tradition de Joseph Haydn. Un enregistrement a également été réalisé de son concerto pour basson, qui est conservé à la bibliothèque princière de Ratisbonne.

La clarinette d’amour : renaissance et première mondiale

Une attention particulière a été accordée à la clarinette d’amour. Cet instrument singulier présente des liens évidents avec la région de naissance De Croes car il était notamment fabriqué par le Bruxellois Francis Rottenburgh et les Malinois Jan et Cornelis Tuerlinckx, qui étaient à l’époque d’éminents facteurs d’instruments à vent. La clarinette d’amour possède un pavillon caractéristique et unique en forme de poire, qui produit un son doux, suppliant et presque mielleux, très apprécié à l’époque du Sturm und Drang allemand. Une fois passée de mode, elle a fini par sombrer dans l’oubli. Il en existe encore 69 exemplaires dans des musées et des collections privées disséminés dans le monde entier. Le répertoire est aussi maigre que l’instrument est rare.

Le concerto anonyme pour deux clarinettes d’amour, qui est conservé à Ratisbonne, n’est plus que probablement pas l’œuvre De Croes, mais il prouve que l’instrument était connu et apprécié dans cette ville.

Le deuxième disque met à l’honneur les Partias de Henri Joseph de Croes. Une partia est une pièce courte, qui s’intègre généralement dans une suite plus étendue. Entre 1780 et 1794, De Croes a composé 6 ensembles de 12 partias, constitués d’une succession de pièces très divertissantes. Notre sélection ne tient toutefois pas compte de l’ordre des séries originales. Le choix de deux clarinettes d’amour confère à la musique une couleur très particulière, l’interaction avec deux altos et une contrebasse rend l’ensemble à la fois mélancolique et plaisant. Il s’agissait vraisemblablement d’une musique de divertissement utilisée lors de banquets.

Contrairement au concerto, ces pièces ne visaient donc pas à exposer un caractère brillant ou une virtuosité magistrale. La musique, très raffinée, regorge de trouvailles ingénieuses et nous fait revivre la grandeur de la chapelle princière du XVIIIe siècle.



THE RETURN OF THE CLARINETTO D’AMORE Vlad Weverbergh & David Vergauwen D E U T S C H In der ausgezeichneten Hofbibliothek der Familie Thurn und Taxis befinden sich viele musi-

kalische Schätze, darunter auch die Musik des in Vergessenheit geratenen Brüsseler Komponisten Henri Joseph de Croes. Dass er unter anderem für ein ebenfalls in Vergessenheit geratenes Instrument, die Clarinetto d’amore, schrieb, macht ihn sofort doppelt interessant.

Heute ist die Clarinetto d’amore völlig von den Konzertpodien verschwunden. Aus diesem Grunde wurden auch zwei Exemplare dieses besonderen Instrumentes nachgebaut. Alle musikalischen Werke von De Croes auf dieser CD sind daher auch Welt-Ersteinspielungen. Dennoch ist De Croes kein obskurer Komponist, der ausschließlich Musik für dieses seltene Instrument schrieb. Im Gegenteil: er war ein anerkannter Komponist mit einem bemerkenswerten Repertoire.

Um von De Croes ein vollständiges Bild zu erhalten, präsentieren wir außer seiner Kammermusik erstmals auch seine Symphonien und Concerti.

Henri Joseph de Croes (Brüssel 1758 – Regenburg 1842) wurde zwei Jahre nach seinem illustren Zeitgenossen und Kollegen Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) geboren. So wie der Österreicher hatte auch De Croes einen talentierten Vater, der sich Mitte des 18. Jahrhunderts seine Sporen als Dirigent eines typisch zentraleuropäischen Hoforchesters verdient hatte. Vater Henri Jacques de Croes (1705-1786) war 1744 sogar Konzertmeister des Brüsseler Hoforchesters. Zwischen 1749 und seinem Tod 1786 arbeitete er als Hofkapellmeister am Fürstenhof von Karl von Lothringen, dem Bruder des Kaisers, der als Landvogt der österreichischen Niederlande angestellt war. In diesem Umfeld wuchs Henri Joseph de Croes auf und zeigte schnell sein geigerisches Talent.

1776 trat er bei der Familie Thurn und Taxis in Dienst. Diese alte Adelsfamilie, die seit Kaiser Karl V. ein Monopol für Post- und Kurierdienste im Heiligen Römischen Reich und den Habsburgischen Gebieten besaß, residierte seit dem 16. Jahrhundert in Mechelen und später in Brüssel. Vater De Croes arbeitete sogar vor seiner Anstellung am Hof von Prinz Karl noch einige Zeit für die Familie Thurn und Taxis und pendelte zwischen 1729 und 1744 mit ihnen zwischen Brüssel und Frankfurt hin und her. Offensichtlich unterhielt er gute Kontakte mit der Familie, denn als sein talentierter Sohn 18 Jahre alt wurde, trat auch dieser in deren Dienste.

Der neue Arbeitgeber von H.J. De Croes war Karl Anselm Fürst von Thurn und Taxis (1733-1805), der ihn für die fürstliche Kapelle der Familie in Regensburg engagierte. Karl Anselm war ein großer Musikliebhaber, der sein Hausorchester stark ergänzte mit ein paar der besten Virtuosen aus Zentraleuropa, wie etwa dem französischen Geiger Joseph Touchemoulin, dem italienischen Oboisten Giovanni Palestrini, dem böhmischen Geiger Franz Xaver Pokorny und dem italienischen Flötisten Fiorante Agustinelli. Das Engagement des achtzehnjährigen flämischen Geigers Henri Joseph de Croes passte zu diesem Führungsstil. Es war die Zeit, in der bemerkenswerte Hoforchester im Stande waren, lokalen Potentaten zu einem gewissen Ruhm zu verhelfen, der weit über die eigenen Landesgrenzen hinausgehen konnte. Die Anstrengungen von Karl Anselm waren es wert. Um 1790 musste das Hoforchester von Regensburg im deutschsprachigen Raum zu einem der besten gerechnet werden und brauchte neben sich nur die Mannheimer Hofkapelle und das Orchester der Familie Esterhazy mit Joseph Haydn an der Spitze zu dulden.

In Regensburg wurde Theodor Freiherr von Schacht (1748-1823) zum direkten Vorgesetzten von De Croes. Auch er kam aus einer sehr musikalischen Familie und war für einige Zeit ein Schüler des Neapolitaners Niccolo Jomelli, der jahrelang in Stuttgart wirksam gewesen war. Von Schacht war nicht nur ein verdienstvoller Komponist und Produzent deutscher und italienischer Opern, sondern auch ein vortrefflicher Diplomat, der die Hofkapelle von Regensburg nach den Wünschen seines Arbeitgebers zu formen wusste. Als von Schacht sich mehr mit diplomatischen Aufgaben beschäftigte, wurde die tägliche Leitung der Kapelle Tou-



chemoulin überlassen. Nach die Entlassung von Touchemoulin in 1798, wurde diese Ehre dem inzwischen vierzigjährigen Henri Joseph de Croes zuteil, der bereits das eine oder andere für den Hof komponiert hatte.

Bekannt sind unter anderem sein Singspiel Der Zauberer von 1782, Concerti und zwei Symphonien, sowie Divertimenti für eine besondere Besetzung mit Bläserensemble, bei dem die Oboen durch Bratschen ersetzt wurden.

Der Tod von Karl Anselm von Thurn und Taxis 1805, die Aufhebung des Heiligen Römischen Reiches und der Sturm, den Napoleon im deutschsprachigen Raum entfesselte, sorgten dafür, dass das Hoforchester von Regensburg an Einfluss verlor. Theodor von Schacht verließ Regensburg und zog nach Wien und andere Musiker begannen ebenfalls davonzuziehen. Der neue Fürst Karl Alexander von Thurn und Taxis (1770-1827) schien zu sehr damit beschäftigt gewesen zu sein, die Interessen seiner Familie zu wahren als eine teure Hofkapelle zu unterhalten.

Auch in persönlicher Hinsicht war diese Periode für den Komponisten von schicksalhafter Bedeutung.

Nachdem er bereits früher zwei Kinder verloren hatte, starb 1806 auch seine Gattin, die Sängerin Maria Augusta Houdier. Dennoch blieb De Croes in Regensburg, hat aber wahrscheinlich nach 1806 nicht mehr viel komponiert. Die beiden bekannten Symphonien von H.J. de Croes wurden für dieses Projekt erstmals eingespielt. Die erste von 1782 stammt aus seiner Zeit vor seinem Engagement als Kapellmeister. Diese Symphonie entspricht dem Mannheimer Stil. Die zweite Symphonie steht mehr in der Tradition von Joseph Haydn. Außerdem wurde auch sein Konzert für Fagott aufgenommen, das in der Hofbibliothek in Regensburg bewahrt wurde.

Clarinetto d’amore: eine Neubelebung und eine Uraufführung

Man muss auch auf dieses merkwürdige Instrument – die sogenannte Clarinetto d’amore – hinweisen. Es gibt erkennbare Verbindungen zu der Region, aus der De Croes stammt, wenn man bedenkt, dass es unter anderem von Francis Rottenburgh aus Brüssel und Jan und Cornelis Tuerlinckx aus Mechelen gebaut wurde, damals führende europäische Blasinstrumentenbauer. Kennzeichnend und einzigartig für die Clarinetto d’amore ist der birnenförmige Klarinettenbecher. Er ermöglicht einen sanften, flehenden und fast honigsüßen Ton, der im Zeitalter des deutschen Sturm und Drang als besonders modisch empfunden wurde. Das Instrument kam jedoch aus der Mode und geriet in Vergessenheit. Auf der ganzen Welt findet man in Museen und privaten Sammlungen lediglich noch 69 Exemplare. Das Repertoire hierfür ist ebenso selten wie das Instrument selbst.

Das anonyme Konzert für zwei Clarinetti d’amore, das in Regensburg bewahrt wird, ist höchstwahrscheinlich nicht von De Croes, zeigt aber, dass das Instrument in Regensburg bekannt und beliebt war.

Auf der zweiten CD stehen die Partiten von H.J. de Croes im Zentrum. Als Partita bezeichnet man einen kurzen Satz, der meist Teil einer größeren Suite ist. Zwischen 1780 und 1794 komponierte De Croes sechs Sets von zwölf Partiten. Diese bestehen aus einer Reihe von sehr unterhaltsamen kurzen Teilen. Die Auswahl an Partiten, die wir präsentieren, hält sich jedoch nicht an die originale Reihenfolge. Die Entscheidung für zwei Clarinetti d’amore gibt dem Werk eine besondere Farbe, das Zusammenspiel mit zwei Bratschen und einem Kontrabass macht das Ganze gleichzeitig wehmütig und amüsant. Die Musik wurde wahrscheinlich als Unterhaltungsmusik bei Banketten eingesetzt und sollte im Gegensatz zum Konzert keinen brillanten Charakter mit großer Virtuosität präsentieren. Die Musik ist sehr raffiniert und voll musikalischer Erfindungen. Sie führt uns zurück zur Pracht der Hofkapelle des 18. Jahrhunderts.

Übersetzung: Klaus Bertisch



THE RETURN OF THE CLARINETTO D’AMORE Vlad Weverbergh & David Vergauwen N E D E R L A N D S De voortreffelijke hofbibliotheek van de familie Thurn und Taxis in Regensburg herbergt vele muzikale schatten, zo ook de muziek van de enigszins in vergetelheid geraakte Brusselse componist Henri Joseph de Croes. Dat deze onder meer schreef voor een al evenzeer in vergetelheid geraakt instrument als de clarinetto d’amore, maakt hem meteen dubbel zo intrigerend.

De clarinetto d’amore is vandaag volledig verdwenen van de concertpodia. Voor deze opname werden dan ook speciaal twee exemplaren van dit bijzondere instrument nagebouwd. Alle muziek van De Croes op dit cd-album zijn dan ook world première recordings. Toch was De Croes geen obscuur componist die enkel schreef voor dit rariteiteninstrument. Hij was integendeel een gerespecteerd muzikant met een intrigerend repertoire.

Om een volledig beeld te krijgen van De Croes als componist presenteren we naast zijn kamermuziek in primeur ook zijn symfonieën en concerti.

Henri Joseph de Croes ( Brussel 1758- Regensburg 1842) werd geboren twee jaar na zijn illustere tijdgenoot en collega, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Net als deze Oostenrijker had De Croes een getalenteerde muzikale vader die zijn sporen had verdiend als orkestleider van een typisch centraal-Europees hoforkest uit het midden van de achttiende eeuw. Vader Henri Jacques de Croes (1705-1786) was in 1744 immers concertmeester geworden van het Brusselse hoforkest. Tussen 1749 en zijn overlijden in 1786 werkte hij als hofkapelmeester van het prinselijk hof van Karel van Lotharingen, de broer van de keizer die was aangesteld als landvoogd over de Oostenrijkse Nederlanden. In dit milieu groeide Henri Joseph de Croes op en al snel bleek hij een knap violist te zijn.

In 1776 trad hij in dienst van de familie Thurn und Taxis. Deze oude adellijke familie die sinds keizer Karel V het monopolie bezat over de post- en koerierdiensten binnen het Rijk en de Habsburgse gebieden, resideerde sinds 16de eeuw in Mechelen, daarna in Brussel. Vader De Croes was voor zijn aanstelling aan het hof van prins Karel zelfs nog een tijd lang in dienst geweest van de familie Thurn &Taxis en pendelde tussen 1729 en 1744 zelfs met hen heen en weer tussen Brussel en Frankfurt. Kennelijk bleef hij goede banden onderhouden met de familie Thurn und Taxis, want toen zijn getalenteerde zoon achttien jaar werd, trad deze bij hen in dienst.

De nieuwe werkgever van H.J. de Croes was Karl Anselm Vorst von Thurn und Taxis (1733-1805) die hem engageerde in de vorstelijke kapel van de familie in Regensburg. Karl Anselm was een groot muziekliefhebber die zijn huisorkest flink uitbouwde met enkele van de knapste virtuozen van centraal-Europa, zoals de Franse violist Joseph Touchemoulin, de Italiaanse hoboïst Giovanni Palestrini, de Boheemse violist Franz Xaver Pokorny en de Italiaanse fluitist Fiorante Agustinelli. De komst van de achttienjarige Vlaamse violist Henri Joseph de Croes paste in dit beleid. Dit was de tijd waarin opmerkelijke hoforkesten lokale potentaten een zekere roem konden schenken die tot ver buiten de eigen landsgrenzen kon reizen. De inspanningen van Karl Anselm loonden. In de jaren 1790 werd het hoforkest van Regensburg een van de sterkste in de Duitstalige wereld genoemd en moest het enkel de vermaarde Mannheimer Hofkapelle en het orkest van de familie Esterhazy met Joseph Haydn aan het hoofd , naast zich dulden.

Te Regensburg werd Theodor Freiherr von Schacht (1748-1823) de directe overste van De Croes. Ook hij kwam uit een zeer muzikale familie en was een tijdlang een leerling geweest van de Napolitaan Niccolo Jommelli die jarenlang in Stuttgart had gewerkt. Naast een verdienstelijk componist en producent van Duitse en Italiaanse opera’s was von Schacht ook een voortreffelijk diplomaat die de hofkapel te Regensburg vorm wist te geven naar de wensen van zijn werkgever. Toen von Schacht zich meer met diplomatieke zaken ging bezighouden, werd de dagelijkse leiding over de kapel overgelaten aan Touchemoulin. Toen deze in 1798



werd ontslagen, viel de beurt te eer aan de inmiddels veertigjarige Henri Joseph de Croes, die al één en ander voor het hof had gecomponeerd. Zo zijn onder meer zijn Singspiel ‘Der Zauberer’ uit 1782 bekend, concerti en twee symfonieën, en divertimenti voor een unieke bezetting van blazersensemble ,waarbij de hobo’s worden vervangen altviolen.

De dood van Karl Anselm von Thurn und Taxis in 1805, de ontbinding van het Heilige Roomse Rijk en de storm die Napoleon in de Duitstalige wereld ontketende, zorgde er voor dat het hoforkest in Regensburg spoedig aan relevantie inboette. Theodor von Schacht verliet Regensburg en trok naar Wenen en ook andere muzikanten begonnen uit te zwermen. De nieuwe vorst, Karl Alexander von Thurn und Taxis (1770-1827) schijnt het te druk te hebben gehad met het veilig stellen van de belangen van zijn familie om een dure hofkapel te onderhouden.

Ook op persoonlijk vlak was dit voor de componist een noodlottige periode. Na eerder twee kinderen te hebben verloren, stierf ook zijn echtgenote, de zangeres Maria Augusta Houdier, in 1806. Toch bleef de Croes in Regensburg, maar heeft waarschijnlijk na 1806 niet veel meer gecomponeerd. De twee bekende symfonieën van De Croes werden bij dit project voor het eerst opgenomen. De eerste (1782) dateert van voor zijn aanstelling als kapelmeester. Deze symfonie sluit aan bij de Mannheim stijl. De tweede symfonie past meer in de traditie van Joseph Haydn. Tegelijk werd ook het fagotconcerto opgenomen dat van hem werd bewaard in de hofbibliotheek in Regensburg.

Clarinetto d’Amore: een revival en wereldpremière

Daarnaast is er aandacht voor het merkwaardige instrument, de zogenaamde clarinetto d’amore. Het instrument heeft een duidelijke connectie met de geboortestreek van de Croes, aangezien het instrument werd gebouwd door onder meer de Brusselaar Francis Rottenburgh en de Mechelaars Jan en Cornelis Tuerlinckx, destijds toonaangevende Europese blaasinstrumentenbouwers. Kenmerkend en uniek voor de clarinetto d’amore is de peervormige beker. Deze creëert een zachte, smekende en bijna honingzoete toon die in een tijdperk van Duitse Sturm und Drang als bijzonder modieus ervaren werd. Het instrument raakte echter uit de mode en belandde in de vergeethoek. Wereldwijd zijn er in musea en particuliere collecties nog 69 exemplaren te vinden. Het repertoire voor dit instrument is al even zeldzaam als het instrument zelf.

Het anonieme concerto voor 2 clarinetti d’amore, dat bewaard wordt te Regensburg, is meer dan waarschijnlijk niet van De Croes, maar toont wel aan dat het instrument in Regensburg gekend was en werd gewaardeerd.

Op de tweede cd staan de Partias van De Croes centraal. Een partia is een kort deeltje, meestal onderdeel van een grotere suite. De Croes componeerde tussen 1780 en 1794 6 sets van 12 partias. Deze bestaan uit een opeenvolging van zeer onderhoudende korte deeltjes. De selectie van partias die we presenteren houdt echter geen rekening met de volgorde van de originele reeksen. De keuze voor twee clarinetti d’amore geeft het werk een heel aparte kleur, het samenspel met twee altviolen en contrabas maakt het geheel tegelijk weemoedig en onderhoudend. De muziek werd vermoedelijk gebruikt als onderhoudsmuziek bij banketten en diende, in tegenstelling tot het concerto, geen briljante karakter en grote virtuositeit te etaleren. De muziek is zeer verfijnd, zit vol muzikale vondsten en voert ons terug naar de grandeur van een 18de eeuwse hofkapel.



INTERNATIONAL

T N C IN JAPAN



PRESS REVIEWS



JOHAN ADAM FABER MISSA MARIA ASSUMPTA

Johan Adam Fabers Missa Maria Assumpta contains probably the oldest known solo for clarinet. The manuscript in possession of the Library Royal Conservatoire Antwerp and makes part of the permanent exhibition at the Museum Vleeshuis. The Terra Nova Collective conducted

by Vlad Weverbergh made a world première recording of this remarkable milestone in the music history.

Mais la palme revient à un ensemble instrumental rendant magnifiquement justice à une palette de timbres étonante.



Once in a while a disc lands on my desk with music by a composer I had never heard of. Johan Adam - or Joannes Adamus Josephus - Faber has no entry in New Grove and very little about him is known. He was born around 1692 in Augsburg and died in Antwerp. It is assumed that he worked for some time in Mainz. In Antwerp he was admitted as a tenor at the Cathedral in 1720. He may have moved to Antwerp at the instigation of his younger brother Jan Frederik, who worked as the Cathedral’s organist. He seems to have mastered several instruments, which he played in private concerts, together with his brother at the harpsichord. In 1728 he was ordained a priest.Only three works from his pen are known: two masses, among them the Missa Maria Assumpta, and the motet Quam dilecta.

The mass which is the subject of the present disc - comprising Kyrie, Gloria and Credo - is remarkable for its instrumental scoring: two recorders, transverse flute, clarinet, oboe, two violins, viola, two cellos and violone. The score also includes a basso continuo part for both harpsichord and organ. As it was common at the time that one musician played several instruments, the recorder parts are notated in the violin parts; the parts for transverse flute and oboe were also played by the same performer.Obviously the most notable aspect of the instrumental scoring is the inclusion of a clarinet. At the time Faber composed his mass this was a very new instrument. It is assumed that it was developed by Johann Christoph Denner of Nuremberg in the early years of the 18th century. As Faber was born in nearby Augsburg, he may have become acquainted with this new instrument during his formative years. The clarinet should not be identified with the chalumeau; the obbligato parts in this mass are specifically intended for the clar inet.Three johan van veen sections of the mass include an obbligato clarinet part. The musicweb international first is ‘Gratias agimus’, a solo for soprano, with flute, clarinet and cello I, plus violins and viola, playing pizzicato. The second is ‘Qui tollis peccata mundi’, which is a solo for alto, two recorders, clarinet and harpsichord, without a string bass. The last is the Crucifixus, a solo for tenor withtwo recorders, clarinet and two cellos, and harpsichord in the basso continuo. These scorings show that we have to do here with a quite unusual piece. In his liner-notes Vlad Weverbergh admits that this work raises many questions, which can’t be answered yet. One of them is what may have motivated Faber to write a piece with such an unusual scoring.As far as the vocal parts are concerned: the 22 sections are divided over solo voices and tutti. It seems that the mass was intended for a total of eight voices. In the episodes for five voices the soprano part is split into soprano I and soprano II, whereas the other parts refer to two voices, alto, tenor and bass, each with an additional ripieno. For this recording the performers have decided to use a somewhat larger ensemble: four solo voices and a group of three sopranos, and two singers for the parts of alto, tenor and bass.This mass by Faber is a most interesting and musically compelling piece and makes me curious about his other mass and his motet. It is to be hoped that they will be available on disc at some time.The performances are very good: the soloists all have very nice voices and sing their solos beautifully.The clarinet parts are obviously especially interesting, and these are given fine performances by Vlad Weverbergh.The addition of Vivaldi’s Concerto in a minor for oboe is a bit odd.There is little or no connection between Vivaldi and Faber and this concerto is one of Vivaldi’s best known for the oboe. That said, Benoît Laurent delivers a very good performance.It is Faber’s mass which is the main attraction of this disc. I urge anyone who likes to broaden his horizon to investigate it, and especially lovers of the clarinet should add this disc to their collection.Johan van Veen http://www.musica-dei-donum.orghttps://twitter.com/johanvanveen

I urge anyone who likes to broaden his horizon to add this disc to their collection.



Que ce disque ait été enregistré à Anvers par des interprètes belges n’a rien d’étonnant: Johannes Adamus Josephus Faber, bien que né à Augsbourg, fut, dès l’âge de 28 ans, appelé à la cathédrale de la cité de Rubens en tant que musicien et ténor, lieu où officiait déjà son frère cadet en tant qu’organiste. Il ne quittera plus sa ville d’adoption et y mourra en 1759. Le moins que l’on puisse dire est que le temps n’a pas été clément avec son oeuvre, pas plus qu’avec sa biographie. De sa vie, on ne sait apparemment presque rien. Quant à sa production, seules trois messes nous sont parvenues, dont cette Missa Maria Assumpta écrite l’année même de ses débuts dans notre pays et dont c’est la première au disque. On exagérerait en disant que cette partition de très belle facture révolutionne notre connaissance de la musique du 18ème siècle. Elle se signale cependant par la particularité d’être parmi les premières à utiliser des clarinettes dans la partie orchestrale. Pour le reste, elle est subdivisée en 22 sections toutes fort courtes et nécessite un effectif important.

L’interprétation est toute de fraîcheur, très agréable... et le clarinettiste s’en donne à coeur joie!

Quant à son style, il oscille en permanence entre l’italien et l’allemand: on songe ainsi tantôt à Vivaldi, tantôt à Fux, par exemple. L’interprétation est toute de fraîcheur, très agréable... et le clarinettiste s’en donne à coeur joie! En complément, un virevoltant concerto pour hautbois de Vivaldi servi avec

maestria.

bernard postiau crecscendo.magazine

Faber vermengt de barokke stijl met de mediterane swung van Vivaldi en Terra Nova Collective begrijpt dat volledig.

klassiekezaken.nl

Faber zou zeer tevreden zijn met de hoge standaard die het ensemble hanteert, waarbij zowel zangers als instrumentalisten de mis prachtig vertolken.

DE KLARINET

 

Vlad Weverbergh verdient een levensgroot compliment om dit te realiseren.

ďœ´ďœą

siebe riedstra opus klassiek

Vlad Weverbergh verdient een levensgroot compliment om dit te realiseren.

 

siebe riedstra opus klassiek





 



 





 



miscellaneous reviews Knack rudi tambuyser Vlad Weverbergh - los van elk chauvinisme een fantastische klarinettist - en zijn ploeg zijn uitstekende advocaten voor deze muziek.

Das Orchester heribert haase Dem bei Walter boeykens ausgebildeten Klarinettisten Vlad Weverbergh gelingt eine solide, technisch einwandfreie Interpretation des Konzerts. In den Kadenzen dominiert seine Virtuosität. www.classicsonline.com cynthia wilson

After the twentieth century’s specialists, is this the 21st century’s new type of musi- cian? Jack of all trades becomes master of all? Weverbergh’s Mozart is elegant, his klezmer melancholia, simple, touchingly so, and his big band certainly means a thing as it truly swings. le Vif/l’express michel debrocq “de

Superbes interprétations”

Tijd & Cultuur tom eelen Vlad Weverbergh beheerst zijn instrument tot in het kleinste detail, speelt virtuoos, kleurt zijn klarinetspel met een oneindige diversiteit aan timbres en musiceert bo- vendien intelligent en oprecht.

Die Südostschweiz sebastian kirsch Eine phänomenale Technik, ausserordentliche Musikalität und stilistische Vielsei- tigkeit haben den Musiker bekannt gemacht... wenn Makkelosigkeit einen Namen hat, dann hier...

Oberstorfer Zeitung arno pürsshel Weverbergh interpretierte die brams’schen Klänge in ungewönlicher Klangfülle und dynamik, mit wahrem enthusiasmus.

Brabants Dagblad rené van peer Hij demonstreerde een fenomenale beheersing Die Südostschweiz christian albrecht Mit dem Klarinettisten Vlad Weverbergh war der Solopart ideal besetzt. Traumwan- delnd und doch sicheren Schrittes setzte er die Noten in klingende Musik um.

Cobra lucas huybrechts ...want de muziek is fantastisch gespeeld. We zijn tenslotte een volk van blazers. goed gedaan. Je kan echt genieten van de mooie klank...

Die Südostschweiz sebastian kirsch Der SolistVlad Weverbergh nutzte die Komposition zu dem, was sie für die Solisten in erster linie ist: zu ausgedehnten Finger- und extremen atemübungen Präzise, ink, temporeich.

De Morgen rudi tambuyser Weverbergh heeft als technicus, als liefhebber van waarmee hij bezig is en als den- kende mens alles wat een musicus hoort te hebben.

De Standaard peter vermeersch ...Weverbergh heeft een gouden toon en een feilloze techniek...



Leeuwarder Courant rudolf nammensma Over Trio dor: de aanstekelijke bruisende kracht van dit virtuoze geheel maken dit borrelende klankspektakel helemaal compleet.

Muziek en Woord marc janssens Vlad Weverbergh heeft op zijn jonge leeftijd al een benijdenswaardig evenwicht ge- vonden tussen persoonlijke interpretatie en trouw aan de partituur.

Pforzheimer Zeitung ruth wolfstieg Vlad Weverbergh gestaltete die einen Klagegesang bildenden Passagen der Fan- tasie in tief berührendem ausdruck, verhalten leise bis an der grenze zur Unhör- barkeit. Zuvor eröffnete das Signum-Quartett das Werk mit differenziertest into- nierten Klängen wie klirrender eisnebel. Mit urwüchsiger leidenschaft spielten alle Musiker die temperamentvollen Tanzteile. Für den hochverdienten applaus be- dankten sich die Solisten mit dem larghetto aus Mozarts Klarinettenquintett, einer verkörperten Vereinigung von Tonreinheit und Schönheit.

Crescendo michel lambert Les musiciens de Terra Nova jouent pour la première fois ensemble mais ils impo- sent dès les premières notes de l’introduction une grande assurance, une techni- que impeccable mais surtout une force de caractère conquérante. l’objectif du collectif Terra Nova n’est nullement de ne faire « que du de Croes » mais de programmer les meilleurs pages d’un compositeur national aux côtés des génies musicaux de notre histoire occidentale. C’est réussi!

La Libre Belgique michel debrocq Musique légère et sans prétention, mais interprétée avec élégance et verve. remy franck’s blog about classical music

Impossible de mieux rendre le caractère joyeux et rayonnant de ces compositions !

De Klarinet saskia martens Onmiskenbaar een tijdgenoot van Mozart!

Complimenten voor klarinettist Vlad Weverbergh en het Südwestdeutsches Kam- merorchester o.l.v Sebastian Tewinkel.

Menzo raf de mot Wie houdt van het klarinetoeuvre van Mozart en Carl Maria von Weber, móet deze cd in huis halen. Wij smolten alvast weg bij de cadens uit de eerste beweging.

Pforzheimer Kurier lothar arnold Weverbergh zeigte sich als souveräner Solist. Problemlos meisterte er die immens schnellen läufe, und mit ausgezeichneter Technik kontrollierte er die hauchdün- nen “Pianissimo”-Passagen. auf den begeisterten beifall hin erklage als Zugabe der langsame Satz aus Mozarts Klarinettenquintett. er was ein hochkarätiges Konzert und hervorragenden Solisten.

Cultuurwijzer Artsenkrant tom eelen Nieuwe muziek uit Mozarts tijd.

De Croes gaat resoluut voor onbezorgde schoonheid, voor dartele melodieën en stijlvolle gratie.

Een cd die een aangename kennismaking is met een vergeten 18de-eeuwse com- ponist en met een talentvolle Vlaamse klarinettist.

Culinair Ambiance raf de mot Toch hebben een aantal van deze divertimenti meer diepgang dan je zou verwach- ten en krijgt Weverbergh uitgebreid de kans z’n virtuositeit te demonstreren.



Klassiek Centraal milo derdeyn Voor dit project wist hij zich te omringen door een rist topmusici die hij wist te ‘pluk- ken’ bij ensembles als Oxalys, brussels Philharmonic, het Nationaal Orkest van bel- gië, rotterdam Philharmonic, le Concert d’astrée, deFilharmonie, enz.

Den Brabo Een verbluffende ontdekking! Want dit is antwerpse, brabantse muziek van zeer hoog niveau!

Klassiek Centraal ludwich van mechelen Vlad Weverbergh wekt Vlaams classicisme.

Als dan een minstens evenwaardig vakman de klarinet speelt en meestapt in het verhaal van de componist, goed gevolgd door een begeleidend orkest en dirigent, dan kan niets meer stuk. frank de vos

Verdere cd-opnames zullen door deze instrumententros systematisch worden gewijd aan onderzoeksprojecten rond partituren die nooit eerder werden opgenomen. Nu al warmt dit mijn historisch, muzikale hart.

Menzo Met lovende perskritieken in binnen- en buitenland verscheen in 2011 rond de com- ponist de eerste cd met een concerto voor klarinet en partias; muziek uit Mozarts tijd van de hand van een Vlaming.

Zeitungsgruppe Stuttgart leonberger kreiszeitung Kompositionen für galante Klarinetten.

Sowohl dem Orchester mit seinem Solisten Weverbergh als auch dem Quintett ge- lingt es hervorragend, die transparente, spritzige leichtigkeit zu intonieren, ohne welche die ligranen girlanden der Wiener Klassik ihren grazilen glanz, der ihren besonderen Charme ausmacht, nicht entfalten könnten.

Gazet Van Antwerpen frank heirman Klarinettist Vlad Weverbergh blies een concerto en tien Partias van henri Joseph de Croes weer tot leven, een vergeten antwerpse tijdgenoot van Mozart. een wereld- première op cd.

Leeuwarder Courant Het is moeilijk niet mee te gaan met de losse swing, de meesterlijke klarinetbijdra- gen...Vlad’s big bite gaat erin als een doos goed gesorteerde belgische bonbons.



© Carine Demeter



www.terranovacollective.com 