Ignace (Ignaz) Pleyel: Symphony in C minor, B.121, Cappella Istropolitana

Ignace (Ignaz) Pleyel Symphony in C minor, B.121 (1778 ), Cappella Istropolitana, Uwe Grodd (conductor)
Recorded at Moyzes Hall of the Slovak Philharmonic, Bratislava, Slovakia, from 1st-4th June 1999.
I. Adagio - Allegro molto – 00:00
II. Adagio – 10:20
III. Minuetto – Trio – 15:33
IV. Finale: Presto – 19:42

Ignace Joseph Pleyel (18 June 1757 – 14 November 1831) was an Austrian-born French composer. In the early years of the nineteenth century Pleyel was the most popular composer in Europe. He was also a leading music publisher, and from 1807 his firm in Paris began manufacturing instruments. This part of the business and the Salle Pleyel, the concert hall, founded in 1830, survive to this day.

“From the ages of fifteen to twenty Pleyel lodged in Eisenstadt with Haydn, as his pupil. During his time with Haydn, Pleyel's marionette opera Die Fee Urgele received its premiere at Eszterhaza (November 1776) and it was also performed at the Nationaltheater in Vienna. Haydn's marionette opera Die Feuerbrunst (Hob. XXIXb:A) was also performed in 1776 or 1777 with an overture now believed to be largely by Pleyel.
Pleyel's first professional position was probably Kapellmeister to Count Erdődy. In appreciation of his 'generosity, paternal solicitude and encouragement', Pleyel dedicated his String Quartets Op. 1 to Erdődy, and, in a similar vein, his highly-accomplished Op. 2 Quartets to Haydn.
From December 1791 until May 1792 Pleyel accepted an invitation to conduct the Professional Concerts in London. To his surprise and embarrassment, he found himself in direct competition with Haydn who was the star of the rival concert series organized by Johann Peter Salomon. Pleyel and Haydn resumed their easy relationship in London. They met frequently, dined together and even played each other's music. While Haydn was clearly the man of the moment, Pleyel's concerts were well attended and his symphonies concertantes and quartets in particular received generous praise in the press.
One of the earliest symphonies is the remarkable Symphony in C minor (Ben 121), in reality a C major symphony with an imposing introduction in the minor. Written in 1778 when the composer was 21, it is a work of quite precocious genius. Of course, much of its intensity and technical assurance can be attributed to Haydn's influence, but a distinctive and original voice emerges nonetheless, particularly in the fine opening Adagio and in the thrilling Finale. The outer movements are powerful and energetic and, like Haydn, Pleyel proves adept at maintaining momentum and, on a more subtle organizational level, imposing a strong degree of musical unity, through clever manipulation of thematic cells.” (from album notes by Dr Allan Badley)