Please recommend your "favorite Mozart"

I have a "Magic Flute" by Levine and the Met on DVD that never fails to suprise and delight - highly recommended.

Two of the 'great' Mozart choral works are the Requiem and the Mass in C Minor.

The 'great' operas are (arguably) The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutte.

DG offer many of these, including versions on DVD too - worthwhile for the operas.

Maybe start with the Requiem. It should take you beyond the edge of what you think you can experience.

If you'd like some insight into Mozart, try the movie "Amadeus" - the soundtrack has a wide variety of his music, and the movie itself is a tremendous work.

P.S. For something (mostly) lighter try Barenboims set of Mozart Piano Concerti - incredible value. And, dare I say it, Linn Records have some superb, prize-winning versions of the later Mozart Symphonies available as hi-res downloads, as well as a magnificent version of the Requiem conducted by Mackerras.

Don Giovanni lays claim to not only being Mozart's best, but one of the best operas ever! There are so many good recordings it's hard to pick a bad one - but I have a soft spot for Abbado's recording with DG, with Simon Keenlyside as the Don and Bryn Terfel as Leporello.

EJ

Thank you one and all. I can't register on the DG website, some kind of glitch they are attending to. And I'm not sure if they'll allow downloads internationally.

I'm hoping to wrap up my purchase of a CDX2 soon. I'm buying High Def music online and then burning to CD-R. I can't wait to experience more classical music, it's very stress releasing and relieving for this soul who suffers from OCD.

Again thanks!

Dave

Dave, why not shop for the CDs directly on Amazon or other webshop? Especially when you are starting out in opera, having a book with the text in original language and English translation is a great help!

EJ

My favourite Mozart discs are Richard Tognetti's Violin Concertos on Bis SACD-1754, and Carolyn Sampson's recital disc on Hyperion, CDA76560, which is a must for vocal enthusiasts. The set of violin sonatas by Rachel Podger and Gary Cooper on Channel Classics (8 CDs) is well worth getting to know for violin enthusiasts.

For an opera, listen to The Magic Flute. Sir Neville Marriner's recording (Philips 426 276-2) features some outstanding vocal acrobatics by Cheryl Studer.

Enjoy.

Stu, thanks for the tip.

EJS, right now it's a $1.09 download here, $1.99 there. I squeeze out the odd tune on my wife's mastercard, we keep it about $50 below the limit. (I went really wild today and ordered a digital one-year subscription to HiFi+ for 25 bucks). Today the mortgage company cut me a cheque (had to remortgage) for $45,000 for the new roof - so I immediately signed the contract for the new roof, which is almost $45,000. I'm being public about the amounts, just to let anyone contemplating buying a house with a flat roof know how expensive they are.

Point is, ordering a complete CD right now is not in the budget. I'm lucky my wife is letting me dip into other household funds to get a CDX2. A year from now, I'll buy CD's.

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by The Hawk:
I like Mozart very much, and I like chorale? music very much. Any recommendations?

Thanks,

Dave

Mozart Mass K427 (plus Maurerische Trauermusik)

Hertha Töpper (Mezzo Soprano)
Ivan Sardi (Bass)
Ferenc Fricsay (Conductor)
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
Format: Audio CD

Hello Dave, this is superb, don't bother with downloads,
buy a pre-owned cd that's far more affordable -
one on amazon presently only 43p !

Also, have a free sample-listen on Spotify with Mozart's music,
your bound to find lots you like : )

regards

Debs

Thanks Debs, I was leery of buying used on Amazon or any other similar sites, nothing against Amazon, just the 'used' part. Have you had success buying used CD's? Do you have to bid?

I don't know what Spotify is, but I'll check this morning.

Thank you, and have a great weekend.

Dave

Buying from Amazon is easy (too easy actually! ) and buying 'Used' is a slight risk… but imho if the savings are great from buying new, then it’s well worth it, the only problem I’ve had is the occasional grubby looking jewel case or cover picture, but usually they are well acceptable, often mint like new, especially classical music cd’s.

Spotify is a web-site for free listening (with adverts) and the option to buy music too on download. It hasn’t got absolutely everything but it has got a huge range of music of all genres, and which is growing all the time.
One needs to download their programme firstly, and I’m assuming this is possible for you in Canada.
I recommend you doing this, Spotify is free, and fantastic for auditioning albums and generally sampling music you otherwise would find difficult to hear before actually buying.

Have a great weekend yourself Dave.

Debs

Hi Debs, just went to Spotify, not available in Canada. Which reminds me of the tea advert, which goes "not available in Canada? Pity".

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by The Hawk:
Thanks Debs, I was leery of buying used on Amazon or any other similar sites, nothing against Amazon, just the 'used' part. Have you had success buying used CD's? Do you have to bid?

...

Dave

About half the CDs I buy are "used" from Amazon. Never had a single problem, but if one of then failed, well at the price you accept it and try again.

ATB from George

Predictably perhaps, I will recommened Klemperer in the symphonies [25, and then 29 to 41] and the pianists Clara Haskil and Edwin Fischer recorded performances of the Piano Concerti and Sonatas that are priceless. But the major find of recent years has been the cycles of Piano Sonatas and Concertos by Carmen Piazzini. These are consistently inspired and stylish, and tremendous value in good modern recordings. They get more listens than Haskil or Fischer these days, here. Also Annie Fischer made some superb Concerto recordings.

This set contains the Piazzini recordings:

Not sure if it's really a suitable 'introduction' to Mozart, nonetheless this is an awesome survey of his great quartets:



Mozart: String Quartets /Quatuor Mosaïques

Speaking of Haskil, these have been making me incredibly happy since I picked them up on eBay a couple of years ago:





EW

Hi Stu,

Sorry I can't remember what I gave to you v the ones I gave Dean (Whizzkid). Was it the Mozart Violin Concertos 3 & 5?

Joe

Not chorale but try the Clarinet Concerto. One of the most beautiful, soothing, uplifting pieces of music ever written.

quote:

Originally posted by TomK:
Not chorale but try the Clarinet Concerto. One of the most beautiful, soothing, uplifting pieces of music ever written.

Totally concur. A big recommendation for the Mozart Clarinet Concerto w/Sabine Meyer, Great Recordings of the Century.


Max
(I give up trying to post pics . . . arghhhh!)

Sinfonia Concertante K.364 & Concertone K.190
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman & Zubin Mehta.

The second movement was used in Peter Greenaway's 'Drowning by Numbers', and Michael Nyman wrote the score based variations on the piece.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S...chestra_%28Mozart%29