Obscure Music Monday: Hummel's Gesellschafts Rondo

This week’s Obscure Music Monday selection is the Gesellschafts Rondo by Johann Nepomuk Hummel. The “Society” Rondo, as the name translates, is a light-hearted, but refined work for piano and orchestra that is rarely performed today.

Hummel, a student of Mozart’s, often lives in the shadow of his former teacher - sometimes for reason, but many of his works show wonderful skill and are unfairly overlooked. As a talented pianist as well, many of Hummel’s piano works are intricately written and dynamic displays of a pianist’s skills. Unfortunately for Hummel, his later studies with Haydn came at the same time that another young composer, Beethoven, also studied with Haydn. The two became friends, however Beethoven presented another shadow over Hummel’s career!

The Gesellschafts Rondo opens with a bold minor key declaration by the orchestra, before the pianist continues with a lyrical minor melody in the slow Adagio section. As the melody settles in, Hummel eventually modulates from B minor to D Major and we hear the continuance of Hummel’s beautiful lyrical lines. The pianist has a number of flourishes of arpeggiations, moving back to the minor, before an emphatic statement of the dominant, setting up a cadenza that moves to the light, but refined Rondo.

The Rondo opens with the piano introducing a main theme, which is immediately picked up by the strings, and eventually the flute, while the optional clarinets, bassoons, and horns provide emphasis. After an exciting development of the ideas, with a continual running piano line, Hummel returns to the main idea with a long piano run up the keyboard, before closing out with a dramatic build up with the orchestra.

This short work deserves a listen by any lover of piano music - although only one recording by Howard Shelley and the London Mozart Players exists today.