STAMITZ Viola Concerto No. 1 in D. HOFFMEISTER Viola Concerto in D. ZELTER Viola Concerto • Hariolf Schlichtig (va); Munich CO • TUDOR 7087 (61:58)

Each of these German-born composers was a contemporary of Mozart (1756–91). Carl Stamitz (1745–1801), a son of the Czech musician Johann Stamitz (who founded the Mannheim School), was one of the most brilliant viola-players of his day. Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754–1812) first made his mark in Vienna as a publisher of works by Haydn and Mozart (the latter dedicated his lovely String Quartet K 499 to Hoffmeister). Carl Friedrich Zelter (1758–1832) is best known as a teacher of Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer, for his close relationship with Goethe, and as a composer of vocal works. To judge from its multiple recordings, the Stamitz Viola Concerto is the most popular work presented here, while this performance of the Zelter is currently the only version on CD. All three concertos use cadenzas written by Franz Beyer.

To my ears, the most appealing feature of the concertos by Stamitz and Hoffmeister is the genuine eloquence of their slow movements. Both are very lyrical and effectively display the warm, dark-hued tone of Schlichtig’s viola. The outer movements of each work are more virtuosic (particularly the Stamitz) and offer a great deal of buoyant charm. But the biggest surprise here for me is the delightful and previously unheard concerto by Zelter. Although the first movement sounds a bit formulaic, the Adagio that follows has a grave and dignified intensity that I really wasn’t expecting, and the witty finale has some very unusual orchestration.

These first-rate performances are a pleasure to hear, and the recorded sound is excellent. Of the alternatives I know for the Stamitz, I still prefer the fine Czech violist Jan PěruÎka with the Prague Chamber Philharmonic under JiÈí Bělohlávek (Panton; it’s coupled with other concertos from the Stamitz family). As for Hoffmeister, his complete viola works have appeared on an Oehms CD that I haven’t heard, with Ashan Pillai as soloist and Christopher Hogwood leading the Gulbenkian Orchestra. But only the present Tudor disc offers the lovely work by Zelter. Recommended.

FANFARE: Jeffrey J. Lipscomb