Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754-1812) was a quite prolific classical composer whose music has only been intermittently recorded so far. It isn’t particularly serious in mood, but it is well worth exploring. Duka is a remarkable player with a lightness of touch that must have seemed even more remarkable in 1980 when these pieces were recorded.

…I would recommend this disc for the Hoffmeister alone.

To read the complete review, please visit American Record Guide online.

If the violin is the most prominent solo string instrument, its opposite, surely, is the double bass, for which front-and-center roles are very few indeed. Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754–1812) was one of the few composers before Bottesini to give the bass a chance to show its full capabilities. Hoffmeister’s Double Bass Quartets do this by simply replacing the first violin with a bass—and expecting the bassist to lead the quartet, just as a violinist usually would. This results in works that initially sound top-heavy but whose sonic world soon seems simply like an alternative to that of the traditional string quartet, with somewhat more “oomph” but little sense of being either lumbering or dragged down by the weight of the lead instrument. The other major change that Hoffmeister makes in his quartets involves the cello, which is relegated to a singularly minor role, most likely to avoid having a second low string instrument counter the effects of the bass to any significant degree. Unfortunately, the novelty of Hoffmeister’s quartets wears off quickly, since the music itself is foursquare and not especially distinguished—it is solid stuff, but not very inspired. The fact that all three quartets on the new Naxos CD (which is a re-release of performances recorded as long ago as 1980 and 1984) are in the same key, D major, reinforces the monotony of the music. Everything is quite well played, but any way you look at it, Hoffmeister is a minor composer. Not so Schubert: the arrangement for double bass of his Arpeggione Sonata, which these days is usually played on viola or cello, is quite well done. Norbert Duka not only did the arrangement but also produces in the performance a sound of considerable subtlety, lovely tone quality and (especially in the Adagio) great emotional warmth. This is both the finest music on the CD and the most interesting interpretation—listeners will have to decide whether the excellent Schubert, added to the novelty of the Hoffmeister works, will provide enough reason to own the disc.