Horny Mozart
Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 01/25/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"What are called Mozart's Horn Concertos are for the most part fragments cobbled together decades after his death. Some movements are entirely missing due to World War 2 firebombings. It's known that Mozart wrote sections of these works years apart. Various revisions by him and others, including his son, Karl, further obfuscate matters. All these concerti were undertaken for the benefit of Salzburg friend and horn player, Joseph Leitgeb.
Often, strings and horn play the main theme in unison, at times counterpoint and invention seem limited, while the use of end-phrase trills gets a bit overabundant in places. Clearly not Amadeus' best work. The allegro from concerto #4 is probably the most familiar music here. Barry Tuckwell and the English Chamber Orchestra do as best they can with the material at hand. Tuckwell's horn on his first ever digital recordings of the MOZART HORN CONCERTOS is appropriately in the forefront. Liner notes are in English, French and German.
TOTAL RUNNING TIME -- 52:07"