Franz Danzi: Symphony in C major, Op. 20, P.221, Howard Griffiths (conductor)

Franz Danzi - Symphony in C major, Op. 20, P. 221, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Howard Griffiths (conductor)

1.Larghetto. Allegro Vivace 0:00
2.Andante moderato 7:00
3. Menuetto. Allegretto -Trio 12:16
4. Grave. Allegro 16:27

Franz Ignaz Danzi (June 15, 1763 – April 13, 1826) was a German cellist, composer and conductor, the son of the noted Italian cellist Innocenz Danzi. Born in Schwetzingen, Franz Danzi worked in Mannheim, Munich, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, where he died.

Danzi lived at a significant time in the history of European concert music. His career, spanning the transition from the late Classical to the early Romantic styles, coincided with the origin of much of the music that lives in our concert halls and is familiar to contemporary classical-music audiences. As a young man he knew Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whom he revered; he was a contemporary of Ludwig van Beethoven, about whom he—like many of his generation—had strong but mixed feelings; and he was a mentor for the young Carl Maria von Weber, whose music he respected and promoted.

Although not himself a composer of the first rank, Danzi was a highly competent musician. At best, his music is charming, tuneful, and well crafted. He composed in most major genres of the time, including opera, church music, symphonies, orchestral works, and many varieties of chamber music.

At Schwetzingen, the city concert hall was renamed in his honor in 2005.