Hummel, Fantasie for Viola and Orchestra with Piano Reduction (Hartel)
A foreword by Harold Truscott, 1973:
"In the later eighteenth century and early nineteenth many composers wrote fantasias, or potpurris, on well-known tunes, usually operatic, for a variety of instrumental combinations, often for piano alone. Their quality varies, from the frank string of tunes, either loosely strung together or not strung at all, to one such as this Fantasia of Humel. True, even in this case, there is no attempt to develop the barrowed material, but this material is beautifully presented, with a feeling of real artistry, and it is set off by a slow introduction and quick finale that frame it perfectly. The main tune is the tenor aria Il mio tesoro intanto, from Mozart's Don Giovanni, and it is arguable that it is better set off here than in the opera, where it has never been completely comfortable. It is true that Hummel uses only the first part of Mozart's tune; it is understandable that we would feel that the somewhat recitative-like middle part of the aria would not suit the viola piece, and therefore he has supplied a different part for the viola, which still springs quite logically from the first part. Hummel's presentation of this tune for viola with small orchestra is masterly and extremely discreet. The slow introduction and the 6/8 finale are, I assume, since I have not found them elsewhere, Hummel's own. The key scheme, of G minor for the introduction, B flat for the aria and D major for the finale, is also very convincing, odd though the D major may seem in this context. The whole forms a very worthwhile addition to any violists' repertoire."
