Flute Quintet in E minor, Op.41 No.1
Allegro
Minuetto: Allegro moderato
Larghetto
Finale: Allegretto vivace
Andreas Jakob Romberg was born in 1767 near Munster, one of a large family of North German musicians. Although largely forgotten today, its members were amongst the most admired artists of their time, and had walk-on parts in musical history throughout the early 19th century. Andreas’ cousin Bernard was the celebrated cello virtuoso who tore the cello part of Beethoven’s first "Razumovsky" Quartet from the stand and stamped on it, declaring it "unplayable". Andreas’ son Heinrich pops up in Berlioz’ memoirs as the conductor who introduced Berlioz’ music to Russia, and Andreas himself was a respected friend of both Beethoven and Haydn. He began his career alongside the young Beethoven, as a violinist in the Elector of Bonn’s orchestra, and followed him to Vienna in 1796. It was there that he became a member of Haydn’s social circle, and the story is told that Haydn once presented a newly written quartet for performance at a soirée, leading the audience to assume that it was one of his own. As the listeners applauded, Haydn spoke up: "Did you really like it? I’m delighted – it’s by our Andreas!"
Haydn had a benign influence on the younger composer and Romberg dedicated three of his own string quartets to him. His later career, from 1801, took him to Paris, Hamburg and finally Gotha in his native Saxony, where he served as Hofkapellmeister until his death, in some poverty, at the age of 54. His completed works include 10 symphonies, 8 operas and a widely-performed cantata on Schiller’s "Lied von der Glocke" – as well as copious quantities of chamber music.
"The flute blends with nothing; even among other wind instruments it is like water-colour amongst oils", wrote Donald Tovey. But the flute was the most popular instrument amongst the amateur players who made up the bulk of the market for chamber music in late 18th and early 19th century Europe; any composer aiming to make a living had to find a way to make it fit with an ensemble. Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven wrote deliberately lightweight flute works. Romberg’s solution, shared with Franz Krommer and Ignaz Pleyel, was to set the flute in relief against the subdued sounds of a quartet of violin, two violas and cello. The flute naturally takes a leading role, but does not have to compete with a pair of equally bright violins - the two violas at the centre of the group counterbalance the brightness and the whole ensemble blends surprisingly well. In the first of his three Flute QuintetsOp.41, written in Gotha, this combination makes an excellent vehicle for Romberg’s musical personality. Although it most probably dates from the period 1815-17, this is late Classical rather than early Romantic music, similar in spirit to the late Haydn string quartets that were such an inspiration to Romberg. The first movement, in sonata form, is the most substantial, and is chamber music par excellence, a musical conversation in which the minor key betokens classical seriousness and sincerity rather than tragic drama. The Minuetto, too, harks back to the 18th century, a courtly dance rather than the virtual scherzo Haydn and Beethoven had made of it. There are two Trio sections, the second led by the strings. The Larghetto grows from a dignified and thoughtful theme introduced by the strings and later ornamented by the flute, and in the central section of the movement, Romberg quotes the melody of "Den König segne Gott", then the national anthem of Saxony and not wholly unknown today. He finishes the Quintet with something more than the standard Rondo, a concise, lively movement in which the playful and the serious blend in music of the highest craftsmanship.
R.G. Bratby, 2002
Copyright Classical Notes.co.uk 2002
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