Johannes Bernardus van Bree: Violin Concerto · Fantasy · Overtures
7/23/2024, 10 Tracks, 57:17
Featuring
Michael Alexander Willens
Ariadne Daskalakis
Kölner Akademie
Johannes Bernardus van Bree
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Composer's Artistic Vision
Van Bree's orchestral works often took inspiration from Mozart's later works and French comic opera overtures, adapting to the technical capabilities of the mixed professional and amateur ensembles he conducted.
Composer Biography
Johannes Bernardus van Bree was born in Amsterdam in 1801 to professional musicians and spent almost his entire life there.
Composer Biography
Van Bree was a highly active figure in Amsterdam's musical life, serving as music director for Felix Meritis, leading functions in Catholic churches, and founding the society Caecilia, which created the first Dutch professional orchestra.
Compositional Technique
In the Overture in E flat major, Van Bree uses a unique trick: he turns a moment of closure into a new beginning by prolonging the bass note of the final chord, then introducing a sudden diminuendo to transition to a new section.
Instruments
Johannes Bernardus van Bree was a violinist and owned several fine instruments, including four Amatis, a Stainer, a Jakobs, and four Klotz violins.
Performer Biography
Ariadne Daskalakis is an American violinist with Greek roots, praised as a 'universal specialist' by Mitteldeutscher Radio for her work as a modern and baroque violinist and educator.
Compositional Technique
Van Bree's overtures feature stately gestures suitable for concert openings, developing thematic material according to sonata form, and often distributing melodic material among various instrument groups.
