Hummel, Johann Nepomuk (1778-1837)

On Haydns recommendation, Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837) was appointed Konzertmeister to Prince Nicolaus II Esterhzy in1804, a post he held until 1811. During his stormy tenure (he was sacked in 1808 and reinstated) Hummel composed a series of very fine sacred works - including five masses and a setting of the Te Deum and one of his best-known instrumental works, the Trumpet Concerto. The Concerto for Violin & Pianoforte in G, Op.17, composed in 1805, occupies a unique place in the repertoire. Although the pairing of solo instruments seems a very obvious one it is in fact extremely rare. Haydn had written a concerto for keyboard and violin very early in his career but in more recent years the combination had been almost totally overlooked. The strength of this particular combination lies in the incredible flexibility of the piano functioning as it can both as a powerful solo instrument as well as playing a subordinate accompanying role; this creates fascinating possibilities in terms of texture depending on the extent to which the orchestra is employed. This scintillating double concerto is rich in melodic invention and shows how much Hummel absorbed from his peerless teacher Mozart. Allan Badley