Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Richard Edlinger, Capella Istropolitana :: Mozart: Concerto for Flute & Harp, K299; Sinfonia Concertante, K297b

Many better recordings available.

Kevin Currie-Knight | Newark, Delaware | 12/27/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As a rule of thumb, the old addage "You get what you pay for," rarely applies to Naxos. Their recordings are budget- priced without offering budget sound. This recording, while certainly not a bad one, is not quite a good one and the listener would be wise to invest a few extra dollars for these absolutely delightful concerti. Both concerti, if I'm not mistaken, are from Mozarts early adult years when he was neither here nor there in monetary terms. Perhaps as a result, these concerti contain the light playfulness of youth with a hint of maturity. The compositions - marvelous!! The ensemble - not so hot. The Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra (whom Naxos records from time to time) were just not up to the task of breathing the necessary life into these playful works. The youthfulness prevelant on other recordings is not there. In particular, the reduced energy in the flute (Mozarts writing for which usually makes us feel excited like a rabble-rousing schoolchild) and the strings (which sounded breezy when they might've done better to sound like mighty gusts) gave me the feeling that I wasn't experiencing the true emotion of the music. Also, in terms of accoustics, the harp was way too quiet compared to the other strings. For the price, it's still not bad but as I mentioned earlier, these pieces are so delicious that spending a few extra dollars is not a splurge but an investment. If you DO want to splurge Deutche-Grammophone has a set of "Complete Wind Concerti" on 3CDs played by the Orpheus Ensemble (in my opinion, the best interpreters of Mozart concerti.) If you just want to get your feet wet, Philips collection of Mozarts works for winds performed by Academy of St. Martin in the Fields that is quite good, though it only has the Concerto for Flute and Harp. this one is certainly still listenable."