Pierre van Maldere (1729-1768)
- Sinfonia Ex D à 8 Stroment, VR 66
Performers: Les Agrémеns; Florian Hеyеrick (conductor)
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Flemish composer and violinist. Baptized in the St. Géry parish in 1729,
he received his earliest education from Baroque violinist Jean-Joseph
Fiocco before being accepted into the second violin section of the royal
chapel of Charles of Lorraine at the age of 17. In 1749 he was
appointed concertmaster and two years later embarked upon the first of
several concert tours, this one to Dublin where he published his first
compositions, six trios for two violins and basso, with William
Mainwaring. He also served as in-house composer for the Charitable Music
Society and Philharmonick Concerts. In 1754 he appeared as a soloist in
his own violin concerto at the Concerts spirituels in Paris, where the
Mercure de France proclaimed him a “great talent,” a sentiment later
echoed by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf. In 1757 he accompanied his
patron to Vienna, and due to the success of his opera Les amours
champêtres, he decided to devote his attentions to the composition of
opera, becoming a codirector of the Grand Théâtre in Brussels. This was
made possible by an appointment as valet de chambre to Prince Charles,
which allowed him the freedom to explore opportunities outside of court.
By 1766, however, the enterprise had failed, but in the intervening
years he had attained a considerable reputation for his symphonies,
which were published in London and Paris and were lauded by theorists
such as Johann Adam Hiller. He also was much sought after as a teacher.
He died from a stroke at his home in Brussels. He composed around 60
symphonies, of which 26 were published during his lifetime. In addition,
he wrote six operas, an orchestral concerto, a flute concerto, two
violin concertos, 27 trio sonatas, 15 violin sonatas, and three keyboard
trios. His musical style, characterized by Hiller and others, was
described as “full of fire and invention ... and far more cohesive,
orderly, and weighty than the works of some others” and “uncommonly
brilliant.” The symphonies especially show dramatic elements that are
characteristic of the Sturm und Drang, including restless ostinati,
syncopations, abrupt dynamic changes, tremolo, and use of minor keys.
