Wilms - Symphonies Nos. 6 & 7
Concerto Köln
DG 474 5082

Release date July 2004

Born in Germany in 1772, Wilms's strongest claim to fame hitherto was as composer of the national anthem used in the Netherlands between 1815 and 1932. He was largely self-taught, and moved to Amsterdam at the age of 19 where he became a respected musician and one of the most widely-performed composers in the Netherlands, serving on many committees and competition juries as well as teaching piano and playing the flute. Some of his music has been recorded (for mainly Dutch record labels), but his symphonies had languished unplayed for years until Concerto Köln happened to stumble across them. As their leader Werner Erhardt puts it, "All the players reacted to the music with a sense of spontaneous enthusiasm" - and that is exactly how I think most listeners will react. This is music that grabs you by the ears and makes you listen. Symphony No. 6 was written around 1819, and is a punchy, assertive work. It is remarkable for the way it looks forward as well as back: although late Mozart and Beethoven influences are obvious in the forceful first movement, Schubert is also there; and, while parts of the last movement are more Haydnesque in character, some of the Scherzo is pure Mendelssohn, especially in Wilms's use of the woodwind. The graceful and song-like second movement Andante, the generally restless inner parts throughout the symphony and uninhibited writing for trumpets and horns help make this vibrant work grip from start to finish. Wilms's Symphony No. 7, composed thirteen years later around 1832, adds three trombones and a couple of extra horns to the orchestra. It is altogether more romantic, with big tunes emerging and Wilms's melodic writing for clarinet and horn inhabiting a different world from the classical era. Repeated playing of this disc has only increased my enjoyment; I urge you to try it, and I hope that Deutsche Grammophon will be encouraged to record some of this composer's earlier works.

Anne McAlister