Sinfonia in E 'Clio'

In his lifetime Wenzel Pichl (1741-1805) was esteemed as one of the foremost European composers of the time. A friend of Dittersdorf, whose works exerted a strong influence on his development, Pichl wrote symphonies that rank among the most interesting of the period. They are the work of a composer blessed with both excellent technique and considerable dramatic flair. The outer movements of the symphonies are thematically enterprising, bristle with purposeful energy and make very effective use of their orchestral forces. Like Dittersdorf, Pichl had an interest in writing symphonies with extra-musical themes drawn from classical mythology. Clio is one of Pichl’s nine symphonies named after the Muses. The learned counterpoint of the marvellous canonic Andante is surely intended to conjure up images of the past (Clio is the muse of history) but the work as whole is very much up-to-date in every other respect.