Knecht: Grand Symphonie - Orchestral Work and Arias

Frieder Bernius, more than anyone else, knows how to focus more attention on lesser known composers who were not active in the great musical centers and make their voices heard. After his much acclaimed recording of the opera Die Aeolsharfe by Justin Heinrich Knecht (1752–1817) in 2009, he is once more dedicating himself to works by this contemporary of Mozart. The orchestral works and arias recorded here demonstrate that Knecht, both during his time in Biberach and later in Stuttgart, was neither totally cut off from the musical developments in the musical centers nor indifferent to them, but creatively enriched them with his own approach and solutions. The Grande Symphonie from Knecht is often mentionend as an important precursor to Beethoven’s 6th Symphony. Because the work is still practically unknown, the present CD rectifies a genuine omission.