Classical music reviews

Though this concerns the second volume that has just come out, I will extend the review to the first volume without any hesitation.
Mozart is one of the most universal musicians in the world, not the western world, which would be very limited for his genius, but the whole wide world without any limits. Take me to the moon, Mozart, and the sky will be my limit. Here, Mozart's music is systematically entertwined to Egyptian or oriental music. First, of course, the traditional instruments of the Orient, rababa, oud, kawala, kaval, oanoun, arghoul, sensemeya, nay, dof, tabla, rek and sagat. All those challenge the classical instruments we are used to and give them a new depth by contrast. Then the voices are absolutely amazing. They chant and sing in such accents that Mozart's music is regenerated and ressuscitated out of its classic texture and harmony to become as vast as a fathomless sand desert, as deep as a boundless desert night with stars and only stars dancing over our heads. What's more these voices have a texture of their own that we do know indeed. It is the texture of the old medieval gregorian chants that are so well, so perfectly adapted to all Mozart's religious or sacred music. We have to close our eyes and listen to "Al Maghfera", the Qui Tallis of the Mass in C. The beating heart, the banging rhythm, the pulsing percussions sound like the descending of the Nile by some pharoanic fleet, or the crossing of the Atlas mountain range by some elephant battalion on its way to conquer Rome or die. And Rome is conquered by this transmuted music that loses its classic muteness to capture a brand new eloquence and impressionistic power. Ah! The Menuet of the 40th symphony that works on both a ternary and a binary rhythm, one rather slow and mesmerising, the other brisk and exhilaratingly bracing and pressing. Mozart is here revealed as someone who had reinvented, maybe, or simply inherited from some previous life, the basic rhythmic duality and architecture of African music. And the chanting and wailing oriental voices suddenly explode the closed gate of our routinistiquely humdrum ears and precipitate us into the equatorial jungle of unchained violins who finally climb to the tiptop summit that is thousands of miles beyond our accustomed expectations and yet nothing but a step towards the vast cosmos of the music of this universe in which we are wee mites of dust among giant spaces and planets. And the Little Night Music that is not small far from it, resounds in our wide open ears like the universal pulsations of our bodily throbbing essential organs that irrigate our flesh and brain with the vital nutrients that has been beating in our temples from our very foetal birth to our final death. And this ressuscitation of such a music that has been made banal and tasteless by too much use may bring to our minds the idea that this death of ours is nothing but a step on a long road to eternity. Fare thee well.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Universit� Paris Dauphine, Universit� Paris I Panth�on Sorbonne

Not a good idea, Western instruments were made for
western scale modes, eastern instruments were made
with eastern scale modes in mind. I love the eastern
instruments but they sound better playing their own
music.

Long time ago I saw an add in the tv about this CD with little bit of few melodies....I loved it! I look for it for long time till now I found it here...no one seems to know about this CD as all my frieds looked at me like crazy when I used to ask for Mozart in Egypt CD....I will get it now to show them that it is real, I am sure they will love it as much as I do...Thanx Amazon, you have it all!

I am a high school teacher and play classical music daily during work time. On Fridays one of our special CDs is Mozart Master Mix and the students love it.

My two favorite types of music are techno and classical. This CD is the best of both worlds.

Who would have thought that Mozart can dance!!! This is a perfect compilation fusing the Ministry Chillout style with that of Drum and Bass.
A definite buy!

This is a wonderful cd and anyone who enjoys the occasional classical music will appreciate this "drum and bass meets Mozart" collection. However, there is only one piece by Mozart, other songs are from composers such as Bach and Vivaldi.

I wish I can find more of Cadasesus's performances of mozart's piano concertos. I own Mozart's piano conertos No. 9 and Nos. 15-27, and this one ranks among my favourite three concertos, the two other favourite concertos are 21 and 22. Here, performer Cadasesus, conductor Szell, and the Orchestra prove that an old recording can be your favourite regardless to the sound quality (this sound quality here is very good in my opinion).

Casadesus was one of the most expressive pianists in any age. He had a deep sense of comittment and secret rapport with the composer . This statement works out specially for Mozart , Ravel , Beethoven and Chopin.
Both of these Mozart concerts are superb played filled with inspiration and deep musicality.
But I like to recomend specially an old recording I found in an antiques store in Caracas in 1990 in vynil.
The recording is from 1947, (Columbia Records)in which Casadesus gives THE MOST OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE OF THE MOZART 21 TH CONCERT.
Imagine the incredible surprise and powerful combination : the aristocratic Charles Munch conducting the New York Philarmonic. I can't explain why the Sony Record hasn't made a transfer on CD of this unforgettable and historical recording.
Meanwhile the 21 of this CD is an extraordinary achievement : but believe me it never reachs the peak of that one. I really hope that this review can be obtained by any important important executive of Sony Records. It would be a wonderful treasure for the mankind!.

Two of Mozart's greatest and most popular piano concertos, Nos. 21 and 24, are combined in this reissue of a classic 1961 recording made by French pianist Robert Casadesus with the Cleveland Orchestra and the legendary if sometimes intemperate conductor George Szell. No. 21 is performed brilliantly by this triple combination; and Casadesus' playing, especially in the concerto's celebrated Andante (the one used in the 1967 Swedish film ELVIRA MADIGAN [hence this concerto's nickname]), is absolutely exquisite.

The 24th concerto in C Minor, the only one besides the 20th (in D Minor) to be in a minor key, is one of Mozart's most turbulent works, and uses the largest number of orchestral players of any of the concertos (even trombones are used here). This, however, daunts neither Casadesus nor Szell, as they and the Cleveland Orchestra power themselves through this stormy and dramatic Mozart masterpiece.

This recording is very strongly recommended for classical music lovers in general, and Mozart lovers in particular.

There is Opera and then there is Mozart. As a lover of Mozart Operatic works, I am amazed at how unmoved I am by other Opera composers. There is just something about Mozart's Music, though, that makes me stop dead in my tracks. It actually does make me feel smarter -- and I know that is a loony thing to say, but I have to say it because it is true.
Anyways, these CD's present a vast quantity of quality recordings culled from Mozart's famous Operas making it a great introduction to those works. I especially love the second CD and find the tracks from The Magic Flute to be unbelievably beautiful -- including a very nice rendition of Pa-pap-gena! Pa-pa-geno.
My favorite track, though, remains 'Soave sia il vento' from Cosi Fan Tutte. For this sublime track alone, I am glad I bought this CD.

It is hard to imagine a bunch of executives deciding to put these excerpts together. It is just too imaginative, an anthology designed in Record Collectors Heaven. There will not be universal agreement that every single selection is the best ever--even the best recording ever issued by Angel/EMI. But who will not be thrilled to hear the bits from the 1950s and very early 1960s by Wunderlich, Gedda, Schwarzkopf, the young Joan Sutherland, Moffo, etc. Yet those of us who still love the Angel Mozart recordings of that time need to hear more recent interpretations as well, and each one of these is really fine. Because so many of the complete recordings are either unavailable or not competitive in today's market, this seems like a self-congratulatory but not self-serving anthology. Where else would we get to hear, again and again, the Spanish soprano Pilar Lorengar sing Pamina's aria from the "Magic Flute"? It is lovely. 99% of the other selections are too. With a huge quantity of music on these two discs, you can't go wrong.

If you have heard of Mozart, but you don't know some or most of his most famous operatic music, this album would be a great start for you. This is a great price for a set of 2 CDs full of operatic arias such as Voi Che Sapete(with great mezzo soprano voices by the way), Batti Batti, and a duet piece(Papagena, Papageno) from The Magic Flute. This is certainly one of the very well and richly combined album of Mozart's famous opera works. And, this indeed will be a great econonically smart gift idea for anyone who likes Mozart's music.

First, if you don't have 24 or haven't heard it, it is one of the greatest pieces in the standard repertoire. Of Mozart's 27 piano concerti, only two are in minor keys (20 and 24) and this one is, to my mind, in the top two or three. (I like 22 about as much; while 24 is in C minor, 22 is in Eb major, whose relative minor is C minor. 22 has quite a few episodes of sturm und drang that presage this work. Composing pieces in a minor key was frowned on in Mozart's day; with 20, he finagled his way out of it by tacking on a major key ending, in 24, it stays dark all the way to the bitter end.)

It's hard to say anything bad about a disc that has so much going for it, but ultimately, it adds up to less than it could have. First, on the positive side, the sound is absolutely amazing. I can't imagine how any engineers could hope to get a better recording of a piano concerto. The balance between the piano and the orchestra is perfect. The orchestra sound is deep and warm, but not smarmy sounding. The sound of the piano is also fabulous. These two pieces could hardly be better works to test the integrative faculties of the engineers, and on that, they pass with flying colors.

The performances are great, but I disagree with the other reviewer who claims these are the best ever. Quite often in 24, the tempo seems amiss. Sometimes 24 is played as absurdly Romantic sounding, but here, they seem to have chosen to slow down parts of it to increase the drama, which is pretty annoying to anyone who has heard this piece a lot of times. Some of the tempi are more like Mahler than Mozart, which is just plain weird. And this piece doesn't need any help in the drama department. Also, Moravec's cadenza in 24 is disappointing, in my opinion. I had the Sony recording with Cadesus, so I'm a bit biased, but the cadenza breaks up the piece at a key point and inserts an interlude that is out of sorts with the other material.

I'd still recommend this, though, just wouldn't have it as my only performance. I'm going to keep looking...

These are the most passionate, lyrical performances I've heard of Mozart's 24th and 25th piano concerti. Moravec is definitely a great pianist who has substantial empathy for Mozart's scores. Yet I must also add that I was a bit disappointed with Moravec's choice of cadenzas; these wren't as elaborate as those I've heard on other recordings by Ashkenazy and Brendel. Admittedly, Moravec's interpretations may not satisfy those who are well versed with Brendel's performances, yet these are just as credible, and I think, substantially more exciting. Sir Neville Marriner leads the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields in two splendid performances of the orchestral scores noted for their rich warm sound. The sound quality is quite good, though it may not be as refined as the best I've heard from Teldec, Deutsche Grammophon and Philips.

In this whole series of Mozart piano concertos, Moravec unfailingly strikes that wonderful and ever-changing balance between play and elegance, wit and pathos that makes Mozart so great.

I get so carried away with the sheer fun of these performances that I'm often oblivious to their considerable virtuosity. I suspect that's the point.

For my money, these Mozart Concertos are even better than Annie Fischer's, which I hadn't thought was possible.

This recording was probably the best at the time of its release and some time after, and one of the other reviews is right in that it contains a more "live" sound than would be some others with much studio editing. Perlman gives his signature warm sound, and Zuckerman is probably the most notable violinist to also champion the viola. One hears the enjoyment in the music, which is what makes Perlman in particular so special as a musician. I give it 4, not 5 stars, though, because the last star must be reserved for the much newer recordings of Augustin Dumay/Viktoria Hagen/Salzburg (for one of the best interpretations of Mozart ever) and that of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (for a better understanding of how the work is as symphonic as it is concertizing).

Guranteed to do two things. First, this disk will transform all skeptics into Mozart devotees. Second, it will be one of your favorite most frequently played disks. The Israel Philharmonic show with authority why it is one of the world' top five. Perlman and Zuckerman bring out the best in one another. Hence, success is assured.

Perlman and Zuckerman are great violinists. Their rendition of the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Orchestra is magnificent. The Allegro Maestoso first movement is delightful and lively. The rest of the slower movements are graceful and charming. If you are a fan of Mozart, you will love this cd. Not like the Violin Concertos because the Concertante is more of a lighter and less "complex " work, but still a masterpiece. It is garuanteed to be of your liking. It is in my opinion, along with the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto the greatest work for violin ever to be created. I could be wrong. There are so many violin works that are brilliant but the Sinfonia concertante is one of them.

Jeffrey Tate has got it! He is almost as good as my favourite Mozart conductor, Neville Marriner, with the ASMF. Tate maintains a good pace throughout although a few symphonies do lack the brightness that Marriner always has. Overall, no complaints on Tate's interpretation of Mozart. Try to buy the set with the complete symphonies (Symphonies 1-51) -- it's out there but, since I couldn't find it on Amazon.com, I am writing my review on this smaller set instead.

Years ago I bought the Uchida/Tate Mozart piano concerto box set, and just loved it. I have always appreciated Tates command of the orchestra in that set.

So, when I saw that he had recorded a box set of the symphonies for EMI, I jumped at it. I am glad I did.

Tates tempos are crisp and lively in the outer movements, his slow movements have elegance and grace without being too sentimental.

The clarity of texture and timbre color (particularly in the woodwinds) all point to a conductor who understands Mozart. This is not just another conductor who has a set of Mozart symphonies, this is a guy who has a gift for Mozart!!

Kudos to EMI for issuing this set!

I have lived with the Wordworth's discs (Naxos) for several years and although the symphonies are played and recorded well, they are more serviceable then performances of real distinction. I never really enjoyed his performances of # 40 & 41. So my choice was Mackerras on Telarc or Tate on EMI. I sampled many movements from the Mackerras set and found them too brisk and breathless. There is more to Mozart than metronome markings and fleet acrobatics. I opted for the Tate set and from what I have heard so far, I am glad I did. Tate's performances are wonderfully crisp in the outer movements and unhurried in the slow movements. He does caress the music but with out ever being sentimental or over "romanticing" as the big band performances of the 60's (Karajan et al). Tate has the essence of these works and the performances sound and feel perfect. These performances point the listener to the music, to Mozart, and not to an idiosyncratic conductoring style. This is wonderful music played with all the joy, drama, humor, and eloquence that these works contain. There is great clarity in these performances but also the needed weight that the later symphonies require. Excellant disks.

you do not have to be an opera expert to appreciate this cd , as a person who is just beging to appreciate fine opera this is a wonderful choice . waht is nice amazon gives you the opportunity to listen to the tracs prior to buying it. i am extremelly pleased with this item and im sure you will be to. sincerly christian john nielsen

If right now you need to know joy and timelessness, a heart filled with light, beauty that has been and will be always, overflowing with the splendor you are fashioned from, knowing all that is your own, that you are only in the least important sense alone, with nothing to fear other than never perceiving any of this, close your eyes and listen to the Duettino Sull'aria from Le Nozze di Figaro...

This CD is a wonderful value with top-notch recording. The Cherubino character (mischievous lovestruck youth) is especially delightful on this CD. I fell in love with "Sul Aria" in The Shawshank Redemption, and later saw this opera live. Though it's only a highlights album, I found it rather complete, with solid linear notes (plot summary for you to follow along), and ALL of the beloved songs I had remembered. I recommend this one!

My first impression of this CD was that it had excellent recordings, for I only listened to the clarinet and oboe concertos, so I decided to buy it. The harp and flute concertos were, also, very enjoyable, but i did not particularly like the horn. I, myself, and a horn player, and I have a good idea of what kind of elements are expected in the Mozart horn concertos. The Allegro movement of the 1st concerto played (Hn. Concerto No.1 in E-flat Major) had a very shrill sound to it, and the tonguing was far too harsh. This also appeared in the Rondo Allegro movement of the 3rd concerto played (Hn. Concerto No.4 in E-flat Major). Near the beginning of the Rondo movement of the second played (Hn. Concerto No.3), the horn plays an arpegio up to a high B-flat (Which is fairly high for the horn), but this recording puts a lot of stress on the high B-flat, but all the notes should be even and have a consistant air stream. It was very painful to listen to. Even though these sections were relatively poor, I felt that the Romance: Larghetto movement of Hn. Concerto 1, and the Romance: Andante Cantabile movement of Hn. Concerto 4 were very nice. If you are seeking for a recording of the Horn Concertos, I wouldn't recommend this CD, however, if you are seeking the Clarient Concerto, or Oboe or Flute or Harp, I would absolutely recommend this, because they were simply excellent.

The best recording that there is on the Natural horn (hand-horn). I have got some rival CDs by Koster, Brown, Greer, Baumann and Halstead's earlier Nimbus recording. The Hogwood/ AAM CD is definitely the best of the bunch owing to Mr Halstead's lovely, fluent musicality, and the superb orchestral playing under Mr Hogwood.

These concertos are important additions to anyone's Mozart collection. Excellent performances on period instruments, extremely informative liner notes, clear, balanced, superb digital recordings.... everything we have come to expect from Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music. Highly recommended

I received the article in good conditions in the beginning of last week.I've already listened to it several times and I'm pleased wirh its quality, both with the interpreters and the recording itself.
Teresa Bettencourt

One need not be a musical lyricist to appreciate listening to Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and Clarinet Quintet. I must agree with a previous reviewer that, the compositions are indeed perfect. Remarkably enough, in this year of Mozart's 250th birthday, I have yet to hear these pieces once on any of the radio celebrations into which I have tuned.

Fortunately, however, I have a copy of the CD stowed in my car. And as my schedule requires long drives very often of late, I have listened to these masterpieces dozens of times within recent months. Each time I hear them, it's like meeting old friends. I discover new joys, find new meanings, and never grow tired of them.

As this is the only version of these works that I own, I can't compare the recording to any other rendition. But I have always loved the clarinet's richness and tone, and this music played on the extended range clarinet only adds to the instrument's magical quality. How could it not, therefore, add to the depth of the music, as well?

--Alyssa A. Lappen

Mozart: Clarinet Concerto; Clarinet Quintet~ Fred Sherry is a wonderfull recording of Mozarts clarinet music and when I listen to it I regret that I did not stick with one instrument during my youth since now it is just to late. But one can unfortunately not go back in the past and remedy old mistakes. Mozart was truly a genius that could write music for all kinds of instruments like the clarinet, violin, trumpet and many others. Mozart was able to create music that is easy on the ear and sounds easy to play. However he is truly a master of composition and well in league with greats such as Beethoven, Bach and Wagner. When you examine a sheet of music done by Mozart you truly realize the genius that was and is Mozart and this becomes quite clear whilst listening to his wonderfull compositions for the clarinet.