Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf - String Quintet No. 6 (1789)

Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (2 November 1739 - 24 October 1799) was an Austrian composer, violinist, and silvologist. He was a friend of both Haydn and Mozart. About 1785, Haydn, Dittersdorf, Mozart and Wanhal played string quartets together, Dittersdorf taking first violin, Haydn second violin, Mozart viola and Wanhal cello.
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From 6 String Quintets for 2 vl., vla., vcl., ctbs. (1789)
Dedication: Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia (1744 - 1797)
String Quintet No. 6 in G major (1789)
on Wikipedia it is listed 1782.
1. Allegro (0:00)
2. Adagio non molto (5:56)
3. Finale. Andante (9:08)
Franz Schubert Quartet
Ditterdorf's String Quintet No.6 came into being as a result of a 1789 visit to the cello-playing King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm. He did not wish to come empty-handed, especially since Haydn, Mozart and Ignaz Pleyel among others had visited the king before him and all had presented string quartets, in which the cello had special solos, to the king. Hence Dittersdorf presented the king with a set of six string quintets in which the first cello was given several beautiful solos in each work. Dittersdorf’s quintets seem to be the only example of quintets for 2 cellos given to the king and, with the exception of those of Boccherini, are among the earliest quintets for 2 cellos. The String Quintet in G Major is the last of the set. Dittersdorf seemed partial to the three movement format. In this quintet, as in the others, he eliminates the minuet. In all three movements--Allegro, Adagio non molto and Andante-- the first cello is given several opportunities to present the expressive melodies. Dittersdorf, in an unusual move, ends the work with a charming Andante, which though by no means slow, is nonetheless not an Allegro.
Friedrich Wilhelm’s manuscript collection demonstrates his diverse interaction with musicians from across Europe, as well as his personal study under instrumentalists from different musical nations. His kapellmeister Johann Friedrich Reichardt (1752-1814) commented in the 1790s that the King
“declares himself to have no exclusive taste in music, but allows works of all kinds from all schools and styles to be performed”.
As Prince and then King of Prussia, much of Friedrich Wilhelm’s spare time was spent playing concerts, interacting with musicians, and supporting the composition of new works - including works that continue to be performed today ­-, for example the Prussian quartets of Mozart and Haydn, as well as Beethoven’s first two violoncello sonatas.

[@jakrol]

I've been listening to Dittersdorf since I was a teenager, particularly the oboe concertos. Funny enough, those concertos are not too terribly special (recommend Ludwig August Lebrun's concertos if you want lesser known but high quality classical era oboe concertos), but their simplicity does improve one's mood. The string quartets and this quintet are pretty top notch. What I wish is to hear more of his works for pianoforte, like sonatas and the like. Wikipedia claims he has, "136 pieces of piano", and I saw on some other TH-cam video that he had written 36 sonatas for pianoforte. Unfortunately, in my searches, I've only found recordings for one sonata, in A major.

[@dirkschneiderheinze]

One of the greatest names (literally) in classical music 😊

[@TurboTsunami19]

What beautiful writing. When the cello takes the melody in the 3rd movement at 10:20, its such a pleasant solo. Sort of high position passage but the tempo is so perfect that we can enjoy every note and the cellist can navigate comfortably. Great players in this recording love the cellist.

[@htr98]

what energy!!! Great Dittersdorf, one of my favorites! Loved it, thank you so much for it!

[@IgnatzKolisch]

Thank you so much! A true delight, and that third movement was very clever and especially tasty !

[@jamesmorrow1646]

Thanks very much.

[@steveegallo3384]

Excellent......(Enjoy the Coffee!)

[@_PROCLUS]

💝💝💝 TY

[@maxwellkowal3065]

I saw the name and IMMEDIATELY thought this was a joke lol

[@notaire2]

Wunderschöne Interpretation dieses kompakten und fein komponierten Quintetts in verschiedenen Tempi mit seidigen doch gut phrasierten Tönen aller Streichinstrumente. Der zweite Satz klingt besonders schön und fast himmlisch. Die intime und perfekt entsprechende Miteinanderwirkung zwischen den fünf Virtuosen ist wahrlich bewundernswert. Faszinierend vom Anfang bis zum Ende!

[@citizent6999]

I would imagine that the King of Prussia would have been utterly bored by this after Mozart and Haydn had visited the cello-playing King. He should've got in first.

[@bartjebartmans]

Not at all. It has little technical demands, easy to sight read, very practical. The first cello was played by the King himself. I have a feeling Dittersdorf himself played the first Violin as that part is much more demanding than the other parts which were played by Court musicians, maybe even amateurs.

[@TheOneAndOnlyZelenkaGuru]

Highly recommend his symphonies, highly original and on par with anything Mozart wrote.