Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Antonia Brico Bruno Walter - Mozart Overtures Divertimento K 131 Symphony No 28 (15 tracks) +Album Reviews

Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonia Brico, Bruno Walter :: Mozart: Overtures; Divertimento, K. 131; Symphony No. 28

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonia Brico, Bruno Walter
Mozart: Overtures; Divertimento, K. 131; Symphony No. 28
Genre: Classical

Track Listings (15) - Disc #1
1. Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492
2. Don Giovanni, opera, K. 527
3. Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), opera, K. 620
4. Der Schauspieldirektor, opera, K. 486
5. Così fan tutte, opera, K. 588
6. Divertimento No. 2 for flute, oboe, bassoon, 4 horns & strings in D major, K. 131: I. Allegro
7. Divertimento No. 2 for flute, oboe, bassoon, 4 horns & strings in D major, K. 131: II. Adagio
8. Divertimento No. 2 for flute, oboe, bassoon, 4 horns & strings in D major, K. 131: III. Menuetto - Trio I - Trio II - Trio III
9. Divertimento No. 2 for flute, oboe, bassoon, 4 horns & strings in D major, K. 131: IV. Allegretto
10. Divertimento No. 2 for flute, oboe, bassoon, 4 horns & strings in D major, K. 131: V. Menuetto - Trio I - Trio II
11. Divertimento No. 2 for flute, oboe, bassoon, 4 horns & strings in D major, K. 131: VI. Adagio - Allegro molto - Allegro assai
12. Symphony No. 28 in C major, K. 200 (K. 189k): I. Allegro spiritoso
13. Symphony No. 28 in C major, K. 200 (K. 189k): II. Andante
14. Symphony No. 28 in C major, K. 200 (K. 189k): III. Menuetto. Allegretto - Trio
15. Symphony No. 28 in C major, K. 200 (K. 189k): IV. Presto

Larger Image

CD Details

All Artists: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonia Brico, Bruno Walter, George Szell, Philippe Entremont, Thomas Schippers, Cleveland Orchestra [Members of], Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Wiener Kammerorchester
Title: Mozart: Overtures; Divertimento, K. 131; Symphony No. 28
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sony
Release Date: 3/4/1997
Genre: Classical
Styles: Opera & Classical Vocal, Forms & Genres, Serenades & Divertimentos, Historical Periods, Classical (c.1770-1830), Modern, 20th, & 21st Century, Symphonies
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 074646283028

Synopsis

Amazon.com essential recording

This entertaining disc offers all of Mozart's major overtures in performances that cover a wide range of interpretation, from the hyperprecise Szell to the warmth of Bruno Walter. The younger generation is represented by Thomas Schippers, and also by Antonia Brico, one of the first female conductors to make an international reputation for herself. The addition of an early divertimento conducted by Szell is an added attraction--he was peerless in this music--and you also get Philippe Entremont's Viennese version of Symphony No. 29. At budget price, this disc offers some essential Mozart in a way that really does highlight both his range as a composer and the variety of legitimate approaches to his music. A very well-put-together collection. --David Hurwitz

Similarly Requested CDs

	Gabriel Faure, Maurice Durufle, Judith Blegen Faure Requiem Op.48 / Durufle Requiem Op.9 Genre: Classical Label: Telarc
?

	Oak Ridge Boys American Dreams Genre: Country Label: Mca
1

	Vaughn Monroe Racing With the Moon Genres: Jazz, Pop, Broadway & Vocalists Label: Asv Living Era
?

	Tom Wopat Still of the Night Genres: Country, Jazz, Pop, Broadway & Vocalists Label: Angel Records
2

	Various Artists, Blue Man Group, Brian Eno & Geoffrey Oryema Pure Moods, Vol. III Genres: Dance & Electronic, Alternative Rock, International Music, Special Interest, New Age, Pop, Rock Label: Virgin Records Us
2

	Rolfe Kent Someone Like You Genres: Country, Special Interest, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks Label: Tvt
1

	Pierce Pettis State of Grace Genres: Country, Folk, Pop, Rock Label: Compass Records
3

CD Reviews

Szell and Schippers are top-notch!

R. Kunath | Illinois, USA | 02/29/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The CD as a whole is a bit of a mixed bag. Nothing is bad, but the performances by Brico, Entremont, and even Bruno Walter don't strike me as revelatory. But Thomas Schippers' "Marriage of Figaro" overture is wonderful: taut, powerful, and expressive. And the Szell performances are just miraculous: I'm a great admirer of Szell, but not all of his Mozart strikes me as essential. But these two off-the-beaten-path works by Mozart called forth something special in Szell and his remarkable orchestra. Szell's recording of the overture to "The Impresario" is my nominee for the single greatest performance of a Mozart overture, period. If I were a Penguin Guide reviewer, I'd be giving it a double rosette (with the caution that this is a personal mark of esteem, and, alas, it may not seem as miraculous to you--but then again, maybe it will). For me, as I told a friend, Szell's "Impresario" is "the perfect fusion of precision and poetry." I first discovered this performance as a 14-year-old on the old Columbia "Spectacular Cleveland Orchestra" LP set, and it riveted me then. The Divertimento is also an extraordinary performance: this performance smiles more than any Szell Mozart recording that I know, and when you combine Szell's affection, finesse, and sheer style with the Cleveland Orchestra at its unapproachable height, you've got something well worth double the asking price, even if the other recordings don't match Szell and Schippers."

Why look anywhere else?

David | 01/24/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't understand why anyone looking for a recording of the overtures to Mozart's major operas would look anywhere else! These performances are fresh and lively, and worthy of any collection."

K. 131 is worth twice the price of the CD

John | Iowa, USA | 08/06/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While I agree that all performances here are at least acceptable, I agree with some other reviewers that the Szell and Schippers performances are superlative. There are other wonderful performances of many of these works. For me it is the Divertimento, K. 131 that is the real "find" here. First of all, this is a very rarely-performed work, and is even more rarely recorded. I wore out at least two copies of the vinyl version of this performance, over probably 30 years of listening. This is both Mozart and Szell at their best--and the Cleveland soloists, including Myron Bloom at his prime, are simply spectacular. EVERY nuance is explored with cogent coherence and exquisite musicianship. This is a MUST HAVE for everyone who loves Mozart! I have rated it only a "4" because some of the performances just miss being "the best." Otherwise, if only for the K. 131, it would be a 5+."

The Walter and Szell Are Best

Warren R. Davis | Haddonfield, NJ USA | 02/28/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I had hoped for more of the Bruno Walter-Columbia Symph. Orch. recordings. I had an old, beat up Masterworks "Odyssey" series LP of all of Walter's recordings of the overtures, Masonic Funeral music, and Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. I gladly took what little of those I could get on this CD and appreciate any Szell that comes my way. The Mostly Mozart items I found a bit disappointing, as I had remembered them sounding better in concerts over the years.

Now the Walter/CSO "Odyssey" LP has finally been re-issued on CD. It is the better buy, for sure - practically indispensible."

Echoes from another era

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 02/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The other reviewers here haven't really caught on to the value of this CD, which appears to be a rag-bag on the surface. If you look deeper, you find that this is a memento of a great Mozartean era--Germany and Austria in the 30s. Szell, Walter, and Antonia Brico all conducted then and all fled the Nazis to come to America. Brico was subsequently forgotten until one of her piano students in Denver, who happened to be Judy Collins, brought her to notice with a documentary film. Brico, it turns out, was the first woman to conduct the Berlin Phil. (have there been any others?), which she did to great acclaim in the Furtwangler era.

Brico was allowed to conduct the Mostly Mozart Festival for a brief time (she had long been the head of the amateur Brico Sym. in Denver), and the two overtures here, from Don Giovanni and Die zauberflote, hark back to the Thirties style Brico grew up with--lyrical, measured, and with free phrasing. The same holds true for Walter's lovely Cosi fan tutte overture, but Szell came from the Toscanini side of the equation, and that style of Mozart is quick, alert, and precise. Szell shows it off beautifully in an impeccable Impressario Over. as well as the minor but charming Sym. #28.

Two items are out of place stylistically. Schippers' Marriage of Figaro Over. and the relatively obscure Divertimento K. 131, which is performed blandly but accurately under Entremont. But Schippers' contribution is nicely done, and thankfully not taken at a breathless Presto of the kind we hear all the time. In sum, the pieces from Szell, Brico, and Walter are treasurable, fully worthy of five stars."