Pleyel: Symphonies Nos. 18 & 21; Viola Concerto

By the end of the 18th century, Ignaz Pleyel was considered the legitimate successor to his teacher, Joseph Haydn. His instrumental music - ranging from small ensemble pieces to concertos and symphonies - enjoyed immense international popularity until the tides slowly shifted with the onset of the Revolution. The clever and versatile Pleyel adapted skillfully: while he wrote a few pieces of homage for the new French rulers, he largely stayed true to the classical style of his predecessors, all the while establishing a reputation in Paris as a publisher and piano maker. Today, interest in his classically structured works has understandably been rekindled. Thanks to their refined elegance and fluidity, their architectural balance, and - especially in the case of the popular viola concerto - their considerable virtuosity, this music has nothing to fear from comparison with the great names of the era.