Abel: Between two Worlds

There are many reasons to consider Carl Friedrich Abel (1723–1787) one of history’s most unique musicians. He was a gambist, a player of an instrument long associated with an aristocracy that was then at the height of its decadence. But today he would be labelled “avantgarde” as one who embraced the newest musical styles and indeed genres, playing a key role in the development of the symphony.
This album opens with the Symphony in C from his Opus 10 set of six symphonies. Featuring an instrumentation of two oboes, two horns, two violins, viola and basso, the score has all the hallmarks of the era’s symphonic music. Abel’s only vocal work of note is the aria “Frena le belle” which he contributed to the pastiche opera Sifare. So inspiring is the music, it is regrettable that Abel did not find greater repute in the vocal repertoire. Abel’s updated catalogue (AbelWV, publ. Günter von Zadow, 2023) includes 420 works, of which 29 are concertos for solo instruments.
These follow the typical pattern, with three movements (first and third played fast in the home key, the second more slowly in a separate albeit related key) starting and ending in orchestral ritornellos, which are also interposed between each solo. That notwithstanding, the Flute Concerto in E minor has a very particular structure consisting of three movements all in minor keys.
The viola section was reconstructed by Wolfgang Kostujak. The Harpsichord Concerto in D Güntersberg, 2022) derives from a manuscript produced by two unidentified copyists. This score, bearing an Italian title without reference to the pianoforte, suggests it was composed while Abel was still in Germany. Of the numerous concertos Abel himself performed as solo gambist during his life in London, tragically, none remain. The two on this album (Güntersberg) therefore merit some explanation.
The Concerto in A comes to us from an unfinished manuscript by an unknown copyist, with no mention of the work’s composer, but a comprehensive analysis of the music has led Thomas Fritzsch to attribute it to Abel. Kostujak has reconstructed the parts for first and second violins, viola, and a few passages for basso. The Concerto in G is none other than the Cello Concerto in B flat, in turn the same as the Flute Concerto in C. Such repurposing of works is not exceptional in Abel’s catalogue, and a detailed analysis provides ample evidence that this was intended for viola da gamba in the original version.

Other information:
Booklet in English contains liner notes by the director, Alejandro Marías, and profiles of the soloists and the ensemble
The Spanish liner notes are available for download at www.brilliantclassics.com

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787) was born in Köthen, a small German city, where his father, played viola da gamba and cello in the court orchestra. In 1723 Abel senior became director of the orchestra, when the previous director, Johann Sebastian Bach, moved to Leipzig. That the young Abel later attended the Leipzig Thomasschule and was taught there by Bach is not finally confirmed. What is known, however, is that he joined Johann Adolph Hasse's court orchestra in Dresden on Bach's recommendation in 1748, where he remained for nine years. On Bach's recommendation in 1748 he was able to join Johann Adolph Hasse's court orchestra at Dresden, where he remained for fifteen years. The consequences of the Seven Years' War drove him out of Dresden, and via several intermediate stations he travelled to London in 1759, where he was appointed chamber musician to Queen Charlotte after a number of successful concerts. In 1762, Johann Christian Bach joined him in London, and the friendship between him and Abel led, in 1764 or 1765, to the establishment of the famous Bach-Abel concerts, England's first subscription concerts.
Abel illustrates the aesthetic, artistic and social changes that changed the world during the 18th century. At the same time he was a player of the viola da gamba - an instrument long associated with the aristocracy, then in full decline - as well as a composer who today we would call ‘avant-garde’, who tackled not only the newest musical styles, but also genres, as he played a fundamental role in the development of the symphony and he was one of the first composers of string quartets.
This new recording presents a flute concerto, a cembalo concerto, a viola da gamba concerto and a symphony, music of great vitality, brilliance and affection, played by Alejandro Marías (viola da gamba), Rafael Ruibérriz de Torres (flute) and La Spagna Baroque Orchestra, in Historically Informed Performance style.