Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Concentus Musicus Wien :: Mozart: Early Symphonies

Superb performances of Mozart's earliest symphonies

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 12/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nikolaus Harnoncourt was amazed by the technical brilliance of the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, when he conducted, and then later recorded, these early symphonies with his Concentus Musicus Wien, the period instrument ensemble which he founded decades ago. I concur with Harnoncourt's assessment; these symphonies do not sound at all like work composed by a novice composer, especially one who hadn't quite yet reached adolescence. Instead, under Harnoncourt's splendid direction, these symphonies sound like excellent examples of Classical music (I refer to the classical music style then in vogue, not all of "classical" music.) at its height, similar in their complexity to those of Haydn, for example. Here Harnoncourt has made a very persuasive case as to why these early symphonies should be performed more often, noting Mozart's genius in composing such intricate scores in the liner notes, and aided immensely by the Concentus Musicus Wien's excellent playing. The sound quality is absolutely first rate, since these symphonies were recorded in the state-of-the-art Teldec Berlin recording studio (For some reason, the liner notes refer to it as the Teldex Berlin studio.). Without question, this two CD set should appeal to fans of Mozart and of course, Harnoncourt."