exploring Mozart - suggestions please

Hey Jayd,

if you like these concertos and you want some more, you could pick up some of Mozart's later piano concertos. After all the really good ones start around number 17.

The Gardiner recordings are socalled period performances - ie the piano is smaller than the Steinways we use these days in concert, and the orchestra sounds a little leaner, too. So you will notice a big difference when you go from period to 20th century orchestra, should you go there.

However, conductors like Gardiner, Harnoncourt and Norrington recorded tons, so there's no need to change style for a long while.

Apart from some more Mozart Concertos I'd either recommend the Harnoncourt Mozart symphonies (any between 35 - 41) or Gardiner's Beethoven Symphonies and / or Piano Concertos. These are performed in the same style, and the composer's language is similar.

Herman

Cheers, Herm. Looking over my vast classical selection (13 discs, and that's including Arvo Part but excluding the Three Tenors ) I find I already have another Gardiner disc - Beethoven's 9th symphony. So I'll move into the Mozart symphonies, maybe look for Harnoncourt.

Thanks for the guidance. It's a bit intimidating, this classical scene.

jay

Jayd
I have just looked on amazon.com and they have a lot of interesting things. However to whet your appetite and for only $13.99 they have a best of collection by neville marriner and a number of excellent soloists that will allow you to hear all the different types of music from operas to clarinet concerto by way of the requiem and I am sure this will give you a lot of ways to explore in the future.
Other advice would be to hear music live and try to go and see some opera and ballet. Your wallet might start to protest but what a treat you have in store.
Regards

The Clarinet Concerto is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard.

The Great C Major Mass is terrific and the Gardiner version with Sylvia McNair and Anne-Sofie von Otter would be a good choice. I'm sure a Requiem recommendation will come along soon. Choral works like these might be a good way into appreciating trained 'classical-style' singing, which is not everyone's cuppa to begin with.

Look out too for the wonderful Serenade for 13 wind instruments (or 12 and a double-bass!) discussed here: http://forums.naim-audio.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=67019385&f=38019385&m=5041918086&r=3521948086#3521948086

The BBC music magazine version (Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment) sounds sublime but this is such fabulous music any decently played version is going to be rewarding.

duncan

Email: djcritchley at hotmail.com

quote:

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Originally posted by jayd:

Thanks for the guidance. It's a bit intimidating, this classical scene.

jay

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But so rewarding...

Matthew

For a very contemporary interpretation consider some of Mitsuko Uchida's recordings. she got great reviews of her interpretations and I've heard her in concert and she is really great. However, I don't have any recordings in my collection because Mozart is played way too often on the radio for me to want ot go out and buy some.

I stick to more 20th C works and ones that don't get played all the time in my private collection. Tho a friend did give me Beethoven box set of LPs with von Karajan conducting so I'll give a good listen to them. I also got Shostakovich 6,7,11, Berlioz requium plus many more. He was down sizing from a 2 bedroom home to a 1 bedroom apt and let part of his collection go to me. Wow some really great works. I bought him lunch today and he was so pleased but I was the one that really made out. He used to be a producer for Delos in the 70's and has a great collection of early 20th C works.

And Herm, I got Brahms Sym #1(LA Phil with Giulini, my home town boiz) & 2 (Vienna Phil with Monteaux) and violin concerto (again Giulini with Itzhak Perlman, Chicago). I'm sure that after listening to these I'll have to take back my not liking Brahms.

Well too many to mention here, but what a stash, and I'll have fun expanding my horizons for little cost.

glenn

Life is analogue

You should try the following :

Symphonies 38.39,40 & 41

Karl Bohm, with the Berlin Philharmonic

Mozart was a master regarding Symphonies, Opera's and concerto's

His Clarinet Concerto is highly recommended listening.

More recommendations for areas not already mentioned.

Horn Concertos - Halstead & The Academy of Ancient Music is a good period version.

String quartets - there is an excellent series by the Lindsays on ASV. The clarinet Concerto has already been mentioned, I really like clarinet Quintet (paired with SQ No18 on one of these discs).

Serenades etc - lots of fabulous small scale orchestral works. A favourite of mine is Divertimento K252 for 2 oboes, 2 horns and 2 bassoons - only a genius could write such engaging music for that combination!

Olly

I have a couple of Beethoven symphonies with Bohm and the Vienna Philharmonic... seems I am predisposed to him already, so I'll check out his Mozart symphonies.

I ordered the C Major Mass (Gardiner) this weekend. The clarinet concerto is next on the list - Amazon.com seems to rate the Hogwood/Academy of Ancient Music recording higher than that of Bohm/Vienna Philharmonic (for whatever that's worth). Any insights?

Many thanks to all.

jay