Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Marjan Mozetich, Michael Welsh :: Mozart and Well Beyond

Scholarly and lyrical, plus some surprises

M. Ramshaw | 12/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are few master works written for Bassoon (except for Vivaldi, more

about him in a minute) and the single concerto written by Mozart is quite

possibly the best. Unfortunately, only a single printing has survived.



Michael Sweeney has brought an extraordinary amount of research to bear

on this concerto, largely concerning the way Mozart himself used the

bassoon in other published works. The result was this orchestration.



The works on this CD are all gems, starting with the very lyrical Mozart

concerto, and veering further into the avant-garde with each piece. They

are all accessible (one or two are first recordings I believe) with some

being specifically commissioned by Mr. Sweeney himself.



The Mozetich piece in particular is very restful and lyrical, with an

undercurrent that suggests (to me) ripples spreading out over a lake as

reflected by the ever-changing daylight. Be that as it may, you will

certainly be able to hear traces of Vivaldi in this piece.



The recording is crisp and clean, with exemplary musicianship throughout.



The quality of the recording is wonderful; I listened to this recently

on my Bose headphones and was struck both by the clarity as well as the

intelligent recording levels.



I have owned this CD for some time now, and am quite surprised to be the

first reviewer. I can only think that this is because it was not released

by a major label - but don't fret, you will not be able to tell!



I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys listening to the bassoon."

Beautiful music

Peter Ramsey | huntington beach, Ca. | 01/21/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am very impressed by the quality of this CD. Mr. Sweeney is an accomplished musician and has surrounded himself with quality support. The attention to details makes the entire CD, from the notes to the music itself, a real treat.

A must have for all music enthusiasts."