Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wolfgang Sobotka, Capella Istropolitana :: Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; Serenata notturna; Lodron Night Music

Great Performances on a Naxos CD!

03/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had this CD since the '90s, one of the first Naxos CDs I bought (the first Mozart CD I got on Naxos). Whenever I listen to it, I always find the performance to be top notch. Even the sound itself is very good. It may be light on the bass side, but a clear digital recording. The six-movement "Lodron Night Music #1" is a worthy addition to this CD.If you prefer a more audiophile quality sound of the "Nachtmusik" and "Notturna" (and you wouldn't mind investing in a couple of full-priced CDs), then I would suggest the 2 Telarc CDs with Mackerras conducting the Prague Chamber Orchestra. The performances on them are also top notch. Repeats are included in these performances. Worth getting especially if you want the "Posthorn" and "Haffner" serenades, as well.But as for saving money, I would recommend this Naxos CD to anyone who would like to get a fine rendition "Eine kleine Nachtmusik" and "Serenata Notturna.""

Bravo!

Leslie Richford | 06/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Naxos has done it again! Great CD! The musicians play Mozart beautifully and a fine job was done on the recording. Great price for great music. You won't be sorry you if you buy this CD."

Middle-of-the-road performance, now superceded

Leslie Richford | Selsingen, Lower Saxony | 08/05/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This recording, made in October 1987 in the Slovak city of Bratislava, has given me many hours of pleasure, but in the meantime it has been superceded by a new Naxos recording of exactly the same repertoire. The new recording was made in 2004 in Örebro, Sweden, by the Swedish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Petter Sundkvist Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik; Serenata notturna; Lodron Night Music No. 1 and a comparison shows that this new version is superior to the old one in several respects: 1) the playing of the orchestra, especially the strings, sounds far more natural and relaxed despite the quite rigorously fast tempos with which Sundkvist enlivens the proceedings; 2) the interpretation as a whole is better, with Sundkvist making sure that Mozart's humour comes over plainly (particularly in the "Serenata Notturna", although I also found his version of the Divertimento known as the "Lodron Night Music No. 1" to be very superior to the Slovakian effort, which dragged on somewhat); 3) the audio sound is greatly improved, with a much more roomy stereo panorama and clear, strong bass. If you want this repertoire at the Naxos price, then go for the Sundkvist!



If you are willing to experiment a little, you may like to try and find a copy of the "Kleine Nachtmusik" and the "Serenata Notturna" as performed by the Salomon Quartet and the Academy of Ancient Music directed by Christopher Hogwood on Decca/L'Oiseau-Lyre (ASIN: B000004CX9). The "Kleine Nachtmusik" as played there (on period instruments) is the best I have ever heard. Hogwood has it played with just one instrument per part, thus the Quartet, and he has completed a minuet by Mozart's pupil Attwood and added it in to replace the lost first minuet from Mozart's original serenade. The result is quite delightful, and I have yet to hear such a great "Kleine Nachtmusik". The "Serenata Notturna" is equally well done, with Hogwood making perhaps even more of the jocular last movement than Sundkvist does (although the new Naxos recording is pretty good here, too).



A further tip would be the Kleine Nachtmusik disc by the English Concert directed by Andrew Manze on Harmonia Mozart: Night Music [Hybrid SACD]. Manze takes the music comparatively slowly, letting you hear all the detail, and on a special disc for BBC Music Magazine he explained his concept and went through the music showing how Mozart's genius made the music come alive in comparison with what a run-of-the-mill composer would probably have written. Manze's performance is very well recorded and certainly worth the additional price you will need to pay."