recommended recordings

Complete Mozart Edition Vol 2 - Symphonies 21-41 / Marriner Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Conductor: Sir Neville Marriner Ensemble: Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Uni/Philips - #22502 / November 6, 1990 Click here for more information There are only six truly "late" Mozart symphonies--if anything can be called late when the composer died at age 35. These are numbers 35 through 41 (there is no 37, as it's by Michael Haydn). All of the others are fairly early works of varying worth, but they still have plenty of charm and an unflagging fund of melody. Sir Neville Marriner's performances are completely reliable, if perhaps lacking the last ounce of fantasy. You won't be disappointed in any case. --David Hurwitz Mozart: Symphonies 32, 35 & 39 / Mackerras, Prague CO Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras Ensemble: Prague Chamber Orchestra Telarc - #80203 / August 29, 1990 Click here for more information Mozart composed the "Haffner" Symphony (No. 35) at such a furious pace that he forgot about the music entirely, and was pleasantly surprised by its quality when he had a copy sent to him sometime later. Sir Charles Mackerras's Mozart performances perfectly capture that element of happy surprise: his swift tempos and extraordinary rhythmic accuracy make this music a constant source of delight. Irresistible. --David Hurwitz Read more Mozart: Overtures, etc / Schippers, Szell, Entremont Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Conductor: Thomas Schippers, Antonia Brico, et al. Performer: Ernani Angelucci, Myron Bloom, et al. Ensemble: Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, et al. Sony Classics - #62830 / March 4, 1997 Click here for more information This entertaining disc offers all of Mozart's major overtures in performances that cover a wide range of interpretation, from the hyperprecise Szell to the warmth of Bruno Walter. The younger generation is represented by Thomas Schippers, and also by Antonia Brico, one of the first female conductors to make an international reputation for herself. The addition of an early divertimento conducted by Szell is an added attraction--he was peerless in this music--and you also get Philippe Entremont's...Read more Mozart: Serenade in Bb "Gran Partita" / Mackerras Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Conductor: Sir Charles Mackerras Ensemble: Orchestra of St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble Telarc - #80359 / April 26, 1994 Click here for more information This familiar music has now been recorded many times, but seldom as effectively as it is here. Sir Charles Mackerras is a superb Mozartean, and this performance just brims with life. The rhythms are crisp and clearcut, the phrasing loving, and the balances consistently superb. Telarc's recording, with its lifelike presence, is another positive factor. The only possible complaint about this disc is the half hour of empty space which could have been used for more Mozart. --Leslie Gerber Read more Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik, etc / Szell, Leinsdorf Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Conductor: George Szell, Erich Leinsdorf Performer: Bernard Adelstein Ensemble: Cleveland Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra Sony Classics - #48266 / November 17, 1992 Click here for more information Who doesn't love "A Little Night Music"? Who doesn't immediately recognize those famous opening bars--one of Mozart's famous "question and answer" musical phrases. The second movement even put in an unexpected appearance in the movie Alien. The "Posthorn" Serenade is one of Mozart's largest works in a form that only he mastered--a large, multimovement, orchestral extravaganza combining elements of both symphony and concerto. Once again, George Szell's sense of the true Mozart style is second to...Read more

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