Weber, Horn Concertino, Overtures, Symphonies 1 & 2

In his 39 years (1786-1826), Weber managed an intense diversity of activity. As a pianist, Liszt admired him; as a conductor, he abandoned direction from the keyboard in favour of a consistent use of the baton and rearranged the positioning of the players in terms of tonal blend. As an opera director he exerted an influence on stage presentation by subtler lighting, costume and set design. As a writer of articles, letters and an autobiographical novel, he expressed his ideals with force, eloquence and humour; as a composer, among his achievements are the inception of German Romantic Opera and the development of imaginative orchestral techniques which were to influence Berlioz and Mahler and were admired by Debussy and Stravinsky.