Search - Antonio Salieri, Matthias Bamert, London Mozart Players :: Salieri: Symphonies, Overtures

Bringing Salieri out of the shadow of Mozart

04/30/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This disc is part of Chandos' wonderful series, "Contemporaries of Mozart", and is a nice companion to the Salieri overtures disc on Marco Polo/Naxos (which I already reviewed). Between the two I would say that the LMP under Bamert give more precise and polished performances -- Bamert is a fastidious and exacting conductor who was a pupil of no less than George Szell and Leopold Stokowski (at different times naturally!).Of the works on this disc, I particularly enjoyed the Sinfonia "Onomastico", which is the only "legitimate" 4 movement symphony on this programme -- the others are extended opera ovetures or in one case (the Sinfonia "Veneziana") a modern compilation from separate overtures. The "Falstaff" overture was also particularly delightful -- I daresay if you played this for a friend without telling them who composed it they might just be fooled into thinking it was a lesser known Mozart overture. Likewise the "Cubla kan" overture, which seems to look forward a bit to the festive Rossini overtures of the next generation.The most unusual piece is the 26 variations on "La folia", composed late in Salieri's career (1815), and with an unusual instrumentation, including trombones and even a tambourine.All in all, this is a very fine disc, and should give the lie to those who harbour misconceptions about Salieri derived from the fictionalized treatment in the film "Amadeus". No genius perhaps, but a major composer of his day, still worth hearing."

My God... You moviegoers ruin everything...

David Labelle | Michigan | 01/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's nice to know that you need a movie to awaken you to classical music. If you had been introduced to Salieri in any way other than the Milos Forman film, you would realize the truth. Amadeus is a MOVIE... just like TITANIC is a movie. FICTIONALIZED ACCOUNT OF HISTORICAL FACTS...While adding in elements of fiction to enhance the DRAMA.. Salieri is a good composer. I suggest that you do your research, pal. Do you know that he and Mozart once shared a bill? Now, ANYONE can safely say that had they been enemies, they would not have dreamed of having their operas performed together.. Music is a personal thing for those who create it. But anyway, Salieri deserves to be noticed."

NOT A MURDERER!!!!

mommiekim | Fair Lawn, NJ USA | 12/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Salieri was in fact a pioneer of music. It was never proven that he murdered Mozart. Salieri's pupils included Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt. He helped found the Academy of Music in Vienna. The movie Amadeus is probably loosely based on an opera called Mozart i Salieri which dramatized their competition and jealousy. Salieri does not get the credit he deserves for his contribution to classical music as a composer. Salieri is a wonderful addition to anyone's classical music collection."