The World of the Eighteenth-Century Symphony

The symphony in its various guises was cultivated by composers of every nation, state and principality during the eighteenth century. From Austria to the Americas, from Mannheim to Moscow, symphonies were penned in their thousands by geniuses, dullards, itinerant virtuosi and amateurs, both talented and untalented. Over 16,000 symphonies have been identified to date, of which those of Haydn and Mozart account for around 1%. Even when the names of important secondary figures are added, such as Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Johann Christian Bach, Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf and Johann Baptist Vaňhal, the percentage of this repertoire which is in any way familiar is minuscule. Naxos is committed to changing this and its landmark series The Eighteenth Century Symphony, undertaken in conjunction with the New Zealand publishing house Artaria Editions, is already proving a veritable treasure tro