"Mito dell'arco Discovery" by Dmitry Badiarov (English) / Concert Hall ATM, ART TOWER MITO

Mito dell'Arco discovery

Dmitry Badiarov (violinist, "Mito dell'arco" member)

At his time widely renown and esteemed by the greatest musicians, nowadays totally forgotten, German composer and a violinist-virtuoso Andreas Romberg was born in 1767, in a small German town Vechta. Almost nothing is known of his life, and the available knowledge is limited to a few articles and a few books.

Andreas and his a little better-known cousin Bernhard, a cello-virtuoso and composer, were the first notable representation of the North German School, whose brilliant carrier started at a tender age. Being about 13 Andreas debuted with Bernhard, touring all over Europe. In between 1790 - 1793 brothers were working with Electoral Orchestra in Bonn, where they meet Beethoven. It seems, there is not much information about the life of Andreas between 1793 and 1815. Apparently he switched more and more to composition.

His activity as a concerting virtuoso violinist declined although in 1815 he succeeded Luis Shpohr on the post of Kapellmeister in Gotha. He played there until his death in 1821.

Romberg, Haydn, Beethoven

Cobbet's Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music notes that Andreas was unsuccessful as a composer in the beginning, but 'won much appreciation in the end, Haydn himself showing interest in his early quartets, op.1'. Quartets op.2 were dedicated to Haydn. Romberg's quartets are of historic interest as forming a link between the old and what was then the modern school of composition - Haydn - Beethoven'. Russian Musical Encyclopedia mentions that during Bonn years Andreas, Bernhard, F. Ries and L. Beethoven played together in a quartet. It is quite curious that such an important fact is not mentioned in non of the European sources.

Romberg - violinist and composer

The music style of Andreas Romberg is difficult to classify, as it is difficult and useless to classify any real artist. Some musicologists, however, place him between Haydn and Beethoven. Viotti created a great impression upon the young Andreas, however several musicologists tend to conclude that he did not follow French Art of Violin Playing after Rode, Kreutzer and Viotti, but developed as a self-standing German violinist on his own. Prohlitz compared Andreas to F. Benda as 'less energetic than ardent, more aggressively rude than drawing to sensuality'. Luis Shpohr, in 1815, found Andreas's playing 'indescribably cold and dry', however the younger generations liked an 'accomplished and sensible artist' (MGG). Several contemporary reviews except the above quoted Prohlitz and Shpohr, Leipzig Gazette - Allgem. Musik-Zeitung in 1799 and 1802 praised Andreas' symphonies and chamber works, which were 'full of delicious melodies and interesting modulations'. Andreas Moser, History of Violin Playing, speaks highly about Romberg's Quatuor Brilliant, op.11. Robin Stowell, 'Violin Technique and Performance Practice in the late Eighteen and Early Nineteen Centuries', Cambridge, 1985, made an interesting conclusion regarding the hands of Andreas, presuming that he had a big hands, because he used octave trills in Sonata Op.32, no.2, which 'involved considerable extension and couldn't be accomplished by players with small hand-spans'. Three quartets, op. 59 were included in the programs of the old Philharmonic Society. Thus, evidently Andreas's fame was large. His music was posthumously republished numerous times, and the oratorio Das Lied von der Glocke was performed until the end of the 19th century even in America.

Back to the concert stage

Of Romberg's family the only name that is known today in the specialist's circle, is that of the cellist and composer Bernhard Heinrich Romberg. However, Andreas deserves a better fame, and it's Mito dell'Arco's honor to revive his quartets. Among numerous compositions, some 28 or 33 string quartets prove that Andreas was an appreciated and important quartet composer. From the dust of an antique book market Mito dell'Arco is happy to return Romberg's music to the concert stage. As we were fascinated by the first touch and by the whole rehearsal process, we hope to share that feeling with our audience.

Baroque Violin and Viola da braccio research & reconstruction site by Dmitry Badiarov
http://www.violadabraccio.com/

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