IDAGIO | Beethoven's World - Clement: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 886448109426

Featuring

Mirijam Contzen
Reinhard Goebel
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln
Franz Clement

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Composition History

Beethoven wrote his Violin Concerto, Op. 61, for Franz Clement, humorously inscribing the score 'Concerto par Clemenza pour Clement', but the manuscript required significant work from the soloist.

Composition History

Beethoven dedicated his Violin Concerto not to Franz Clement, for whom it was written, but to his youth friend Stephan von Breuning, a 'snub' typical of Beethoven's dealings with contemporaries.

Critical Reception

At the 1805 premiere of Beethoven's 'Eroica' Symphony, critics were disappointed, but Franz Clement's violin playing was praised for its 'indescribable daintiness, neatness and elegance'.

Compositional Technique

The Second Violin Concerto by Franz Clement, featured on this album, is described as more romantic, fractured, and passionate, with an almost experimental tonal design.

Composition History

Beethoven enlisted Franz Clement and his orchestra for the first public performance of his 'Eroica' Symphony in April 1805, after being traumatized by the failure of his First Symphony's premiere.

Composer Biography

Franz Clement, the composer of these violin concertos, was first introduced to the violin at age five by his father, a lackey in the chapel of Count Harsch.

Composer Biography

As a child prodigy, Franz Clement (1782-1842) was given a 400-page leather-bound family album by Count Joseph Anton Seeau, which was later signed by leading musical figures like Haydn and Beethoven.