Terra Nova Collective

PIETER VAN MALDERE (Brussel, 1729 - Brussel, 1768)
Sinfonia in D opus V/I
Vlad Weverbergh Terra Nova Collective
Pieter Van Maldere’s position in European music history is as unique as it was influential. His symphonic works were a synthesis of French stylistic elements combined with Viennese and Italian influences, and it was thanks to these that Van Maldere occupied a specific place in the development of the Classical symphony in the 18th century, as a result of which Brussels could be considered equal on a musical level with the other great centres of symphonic development at that time, and of Mannheim and Johann Stamitz’s Mannheimer Schule in particular. The developments of the Mannheim School and the Parisian symphonie, together with Haydn’s efforts whilst he was in service to the Esterházy family, resulted from the 1770s onwards in what has become known as the Classical Vien- nese symphony; examples of this can be found in the works of Carl Ditters, Johann Baptist Vanhal and Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, but are primarily to be found in the works of Haydn, Mozart and the young Beethoven.
Van Maldere composed forty-nine symphonies which, given the above-mentioned development of the form, have been far too little discussed or examined. His symphonies display a galant style characteristic of the period with wide- ranging melodies in the French style, but with a compact structure and tonal planning that was a hallmark of the Viennese classical style. His symphonies were made up of three or of four movements; they were published in Paris, Lon- don, Dublin and Brussels, and were performed throughout Europe. The library of Esterházy contains every symphony by Van Maldere that was published; these scores were purchased
by Joseph Haydn, who clearly performed the symphonies in Esterházy. One of Van Maldere’s symphonies was also at a certain moment mis- takenly attributed to Haydn himself.
There can be no doubt that Peter Van Maldere (1729-1768) was the premier composer of the Austrian Netherlands during the middle years of the 18th century. It would have been difficult at that time to have found a musician with a higher profile in the region, Van Maldere being
a renowned violin virtuoso and Kapellmeister to prince Karl of Lothringia, the regent of the Aus- trian Netherlands. Prince Karl was the brother of
the Emperor Franz Stephan, the brother-in-law of the Empress Maria Theresia, and the uncle of the Emperor Joseph II. One consequence of the viceroy’s limited political power was that Prince Karl invested much time, money and effort in the arts, so that at least he could continue the illusion of aristocratic supreme power. Archi- tecture, painting and music all flourished in Brussels under Prince Karl. Van Maldere’s works and their connection to this unique social, cul- tural and musical world still remain surprisingly unresearched.
Mozart too was familiar with Van Maldere’s mu- sic and also met him during his visit to Brussels as a child prodigy. Mozart too was influenced by the Mannheim School and the developments of the so-called style galant. It is for this reason that this programme includes works by both Van Maldere and Mozart.