Search - Alexander Raskatov, Alfred Schnittke, Gidon Kremer :: After Mozart

Pop Mozart is the draw here

Aceto | Meilhan Sur Garonne | 03/06/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, I am guessing you are considering this record because it is done by Gidon Kremer. If not, please understand that he is a gifted nut job. He is not the place to go for a canonical interpretation. And Mozart would applaud this judgement and Kremer's course. Mozart loved fun, not reverence and protocol. He did opera for the masses.



I called Kremer a nut job, but in a serious way. He does not fool with the music. The performances are tight, disciplined presentations. But he does have his own way. Not technically, mind you, as we see some performers do. Rather it is a context of presentation where faithful joins fun.



Back to the rest of you Kremerata fans. Getting past the opening tintinabulation and more, rather than kleine, nachtmusik, you get to some quite interesting Schnittke. Here you are in the heart of what Kremer knows how to do best. This piece is the anchor for the record.



But I confess that the Leopold Mozart's Kids Symphony is the real draw for me. I promise not to tell on you for this cheap pleasure. The trick is not to play to the toys. You gotta do it strait or it would be a pandering flop."