SYMPHONY NO.29 IN A MAJOR, K.201

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)



I. Allegro moderato
II. Adante
III. Menuetto
IV. Allegro con spirito

The piece was completed in Salzburg in April of 1774.
The character of this symphony is created by two main factors; the adoption of chamber music style orchestration consisting of two oboes, two horns and a string ensemble, and the use of A major in which Mozart often wrote fluent melodies.

The subtle second movement is the most beautiful and elegant passage, but we also appreciate the noble taste of the minuet in the third movement. The last movement revives the characteristics of the first movement in a more lighthearted and lively way, leading to the dramatic climax. With its excellent overall composition, the piece is one of the best works of Mozart from his early days.

In “Symphony No.29 in A major,” Mozart frequently incorporate bright and happy melodies and harmonies reminiscent of Italian music, which he tactfully mixes with the Austrian style. He also attempts a fusion between symphony and chamber music styles, to open up new possibilities.

Mozart: Horn Concertos

For this recording, Lowell Greer himself reconstructed a natural horn of the type that was invented during Mozart's later years and was generally played in orchestras at the beginning of the nineteenth century. He is pictured holding the horn in the booklet, and the pride in his eyes is only natural, for this is a wonderful-sounding instrument that seems ideal for playing Mozart's playfully beautiful Horn Concertos. Greer and the Philharmonia Baroque play in a relatively straightforward, perhaps even somewhat naive manner, but this is not necessarily a criticism: At all events, the disc can give enormous listening pleasure (as is presumably evidenced by the fact that I have often heard it being played on German radio stations). The engineering puts the horn on the left of proceedings and in the centre of attention, and it is truly wonderful to listen to this glorious sound. Musicologically, I suspect that the Sony Vivarte recording made by Ab Koster and the Canadian Tafelmusik ensemble is a little more refined (and the music has definitely been reconstructed in a more accurate manner there); but nonetheless, the Harmonia Mundi recording is a true classic and is well worth the listening to. --Leslie Richford Read more.

Mozart: Horn Concerto No.1-4

As a music teacher and hornist who has performed all of the Mozart horn concertos at one time or another, I am probably more picky about recordings of these works than anything else. Everyone always upholds the Dennis Brain recordings as the best, and rightly so. Brain was the all-time master of the horn, period. The problem is that he died young and his Mozart recordings were made in the 1950s. Yes, the CD has been remastered and sounds quite good, but there's only so much a producer can do.

That's why one recording of these masterpieces simply will not do.

This CD by Barry Tuckwell most assuredly needs to be the "other" recording one has in their collection. Tuckwell with his gorgeous tone, fantastic range, and excellent lip trills is easily the best hornist in the past few decades. He plays each concerto with spirit and aggression in contrast to Brain's more controlled and leisurely interpretation. His cadenzas are more modern and showy yet maintain classical style and taste. The ASMF provides perfect, well-balanced accompaniment with, interestingly enough, a harpsicord playing basso continuo underneath the orchestra (a feature that may or may not have been used when Mozart first debuted these concertos).

Finally, the original recordings are modern enough that when digitally remastered, they sound clear as a bell. So yes, buy the Brain recording, he is the best hornist of all time. But this recording by Tuckwell is marvellous and should be immediately added to one's collection. Both recordings are correct, both are beautiful, but both are different. Therefore, both are needed. Buy it now.

Concerto For Horn & Orchestra No.4 In E Flat Major, K.495 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Mozart wrote four concertos for horn and all were dedicates to Leitgeb, who remained a friend of Mozart until his death. Leitgeb's name appears in Mozart's last letter.

As a leading orchestra horn player, Leitgeb asked Mozart to write concertos for him from time to time, and succeeded in persuading him to write four pieces over Mozart's last 10 years.

All these concertos are similar in nature, indicating that Mozart was well versed in Leitgeb's taste.

"Concerto for horn & Orchestra No.4" may be inferior to No.3 in terms of the strong characteristic of the theme and compositional structure which is very appealing in No.3, like the piano concertos, but it is nonetheless an excellent piece, showing the spontaneous skill of Mozart in his mature period. In addition, Concerto No.4 requires a fairly elaborate technique for horn, considering the time in which it was written, by adopting a chromatic playing of rendition.

EDITH MATHIS - MOZART: EXSULATE JUBILATE

I'm not sure, if I may review this album as the first reviewer.But I can say for sure that you won't have any regrets about buying this item. I encountered her voice when I heard 'Le nozze di Figaro', Mozart. At that time she sung as Susanna. I was really impressed, because her voice was very mellow but profound, not like any other italien singers. After that I've been concentrating on collecting her records. So far she've not disappointed me. In my opinion, it's very unsatisfactory that there are few recording. About 2 years ago I had a chance to go to her concert. At the time she also sung this Mozart's masterpiece ,Exultate, Jubilate'. I was moved to tears. At the moment when I'm listening her voice on CD, I found myself who is in tears. I guarantee you won't regret. --Park Dong Gyun See more.

EXSULATE JUBILATE BY HANDEL AND MOZART

The sumptious sound of Gardiner's English Baroque Soloists opens this disc with clarion precision. From the very beginning, they are the epitome of perfect baroque playing - never getting a microbeat behind Gardiner's fiendishly speedy baton, and are particularly delightful when tripping through Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate accompanying the sublime Ms McNair. Sylvia McNair, although comparatively rarely recorded, produces a wonderfully enthusiastic performance, using all of the vocal devices in her armoury (listen out for the whispered phrase in Silete Venti, the first cantata on the disc). While the Handel is lovely, however, the Mozart is truly spectacular, showing McNair's talent for semi-quaver articulation, particularly in the famous Alleluia which concludes the disc. Overall, an excellent contribution to the collection of any fan of authentic Mozart. --Ben England. Read more.

THE WORLD GREATEST MOZART ALBUMS

This CD has a great selection of Mozart for fans, or people who have heard the melodies but haven't placed the composer with them. It includes Piano Concerto 21 II andante, Jupiter Symphony Finale, the famous Clarinet Concerto, wich is incredibly brilliant, and Rondo Alla Turca, a very smartly written sonata. It also has probably the most famous classical piece ever, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, The most famous Opera, Le Nozzie Di Figaro, and the very famous Piano Sonata 15 in C Major, "Sonata Facile". Not only does this CD set have a good selection it is all crisp and cleanly played. I particualry enjoy the Jupiter Finale, which is so cleanly played I felt I was watching it live. I suggest buying this wonderful set for your Mozart collection. --Justin Read more.

MOZART CORONATION MASS

Barbara Bonney is the star of this disc. Her "Exsultate Jubilate" is the most beautiful, unprententious version I've heard. What I've always admired about her is her pure tone, and this recording is no exception. Even though she sings gloriously, she doesn't show off at the expense of Mozart's music. The English Concert's playing is intelligent and stylish as we've come to expect from them. Also, if you're unfamiliar with the Solemn Vespers of the Confessor, this piece is a real treat for choral music lovers. It is done very well here too. ~ J. Buxton "cantabile"

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COLIN DAVIS' MOZART CHORAL MASTERPIECE

The original vinyl issue of this album was part of a series of the major Mozart choral works conducted by Colin Davis. Included were Requiem, Great Mass in c, Coronation Mass, Credo Mass and this album. Today all of the items have been reissued on CD, but alas, not as part of a combined CD set. This is about the best performance of the Vespers on recording. Davis, orchestra, chorus and soloists are all on a wonderfully coordinated plane, and I prefer this to those perhaps more historically correct 'period' performances. It would be great if Phillips could rerelease all of the Davis' Mozart choral works on a CD set. (Review by Operaman "dsoda") See more.

MOZART : EXSULTATE, JUBILATE, O VOS ANIMAE BEATAE K.165

In 1773 Mozart was staying in Milan to play his opera titled "Lucio Silla" in which used a male soprano singer (of the type called castrato, frequently used in operas and oratorios during the baroque period.) Thia piece is a motet for the male soprano.

A motet is a vocal form with lyrics which originated and developed in Medieval Europe, as both secular and clerical music.

Although Mozart uses religious verses in Latin for this motet, the whole inpression is that of operatic glamour, and its 3 - movement composition in quick-slow-quick tempo reminds us of a vocal baroque concert.