Sinfonia in Eb

Dittersdorf (1739-1799) was one of the most prolific and versatile of Haydn’s and Mozart’s Viennese contemporaries. He wrote fluently and attractively in all genres and his symphonies, of which there are over a hundred, reveal a wealth of novel solutions to the problems of form and a subversive wit that bears comparison only with Haydn’s. Although his programmatic symphonies are rightly lauded for their great originality, Dittersdorf’s more orthodox works are also remarkable for their exuberant musical invention and impressive command of the orchestra. The dating of the present work is problematic but it appears to have been composed ca 1782. It is clearly a mature work and is comparable in stature - and in its use of expanded orchestral forces - with the famous ‘Ovid’ symphonies composed around the same time.