Sinfonia No. 59 in Bb

Franz Xaver Richter (1709-1789) was one of the foremost composers of the Mannheim school even though he consciously eschewed the fashionable style prevalent there and eventually left to pursue his career elsewhere. The hallmarks of Richter’s mature style are already evident in the Six Grandes Simphonies composed ca 1740, seven years before he joined the celebrated musical establishment at the Mannheim court. The fast movements possess a driving intensity which owes much of its power to the frequent employment of contrapuntal devices, while the slow movements are rich in expressive harmonies and unexpected melodic twists.