Tones, I need your help again

The Philips one I've nearly entirely got on LPs.
The ordered Brillant one will be sent out on Monday and I'll receive it on Wednesday or Thursday. To optimize my time it would be better if the members interested in this edition would specifically ask questions. If someone buys an edition like this, he is normally interested in particular works, which for example are not available on single CDs.

 

Thanks, Titain. but direct from Monteverdi productions, it's cheaper again for those of us who have committed to the whole series.

No, I didn't - I assumed they would do that automatically on seeing a Swiss address, the way Amazon.de does.

Thanks for the tip. Of course, both Bach and Handel were influenced by the Italian baroque, particularly Handel who lived in Rome for a time (where he wrote "Dixit Dominus") and who wrote a great many operas in the Italian style. Only when they fell out of favour with the London musical public did he turn to oratorio. Bach was greatly taken with Vivaldi and transcribed some of his pieces.

 

How much is it for those committors?

 

I'm prepared to bear the cross but someone please write a Passion

 

GBP15 (just under EUR22) per double CD, postage included. Hug sells the same thing for CHF69

 

O sacred wallet wounded
(I hope not fatally)
The prices made me swoon, it
for 200 CDs
Was nothing but a pittance
A bargain of a kind
I sent off my remittance
(I hope SWMBO won't mind).

 

I meant in German

and SWMBO will not know anyway

 

Or he may be a completist per se and (as you know), I tend in the same direction. But to optimize your time I can say, that I own the excellent piano sonata set by Klara Würtz, which is a part of the complete edition. My primary interests bisides these are particulary the other solo pianomusic , the piano concertos, the symphonies at least from no.25 and on, some other concertos (klarinet, horn, fagot at most), and the string quartets and quintets. You might post about these works. I suppose many of the featured musicians are period instruments performers, and this is a major cause for my interest in the edition. And the thought of being able to get an comprehensive survey of his works thrills me.

 

YES SIR!!

 

Do you have any reference for comparing the interpretations of the above mentioned works?

 

The late symphonies

I received today the CDs and I started to listen to the late symphonies (from No 25) played by the Mozart Akademie Amsterdam conducted by Jaap Ter Linden and recorded in spring 2002.

The first impressions of the recordings are:
- the orchestra plays on authentic instruments
- the symphonies are played like the serenades and divertimenti where the wind instruments are nearly predominant.
- the tempi are not fast (strict tempo?) but nevertheless the music is played very lighty
- there isn't the dynamic as like in Bohm's or other interpretations of orchestras playing with modern instruments. There aren't big crescendis which is more like a barock interpretation. In the lastest symphonies there is more dynamic (the fortissimi are louder) but again without any kind of major crescendi as in romantical interpretations.
- the quality of the recordings are amazing (very good)

Actually I like this kind of interpretation as contrast to more "romatic" ones or the "heavy" Harnoncourt ones or the "dynamic" Hogwood ones. Even if the tempis seem to me to be strict and the dynamic purposely reduced, I never had a feeling of getting board. Actually I felt attracted how every instrumental group was playing and of the balanced harmony all together. Maybe that slight "swing" Ter Linden puts into the interpretation make it nicely fluid.

Tomorrow I will hear the piano concerti....

 

Mozart complete works

If you think of how many Mozart CDs or LPs I own, the number is very small. Only two complete sets and two incomplete sets of his piano sonatas.

But I have listened to a lot of Mozart during all my life and even played arrangements of his symphonies for four hand piano and studied many of his scores. Once I traversed the complete string quartets and quintets of the Vox box set with the legendary Barchet-quartet, as well as the piano concertos with Haebler/Brendel and Barenboim. Symphonies: Klemperer, Walther and Böhm. Requiem: Walther and Böhm. Don Giovanni: Giulini and Böhm. I have listened to much more, and attended Mozart concerts but as a rule only modern instrument and modern style recordings. This is why the Brilliant box might interest me, as it contains a considerable number of HIP performances.

Thinking it over again I don't think I shall acquire the complete set, since my interest in the operas as well as most of the vocal music is negligeable, and much of the instrumental music can be acquired individually. I thank you for your words about the symphonies above. To me it sounds, as if this interpretation is just to my taste, and for that reason I shall order the symphony box together with my next monthly CD order.

 

I've listen to most of the pianoconcerti from number 17 on with Derek Han playing the piano and the Philarmonia Orchestra conducted by Paul Freeman.
An overall general comment is that I liked the tempis and Han's way of playing Mozart: Light, fluid but never superficial.
For more deep interpretations I believe one should buy seperate CDs choosing different players according to the concert.

The recording quality is good but could be better when comparing it with other labels. While the piano is well recorded the orchestra could be more transparent less messy especially n the loud passages. This could also partially be due to the places where the recordings were done:
Henry Wood Hall, London
St. Augustine Church, London

Nevertheless I never found that the recording disturbed the listening of the music, maybe because I'm not so fussy and that in some live concerts I had worse sound quality. This is though individual taste.

I recommend this set not only for those who would like to be introduced in Mozart's complete pianoconcerts but also for those who already have some and would like to purchase all of them but don't want to spend much money.

More and more I hear the 170 CDs of this Mozart edition from Brilliant Classics, the more I'm convinced about my decision of buying it.
Yesterday I heard also with a friend of mine (bass singer) some excerpts of the Mozart main Operas and we found them not bad at all, actually quite good. Some of them are reissues from previous Telarc releases (Markerras).

I believe those, who are interested in Mozart's Musik, should definitively get the whole edition. For 99€ it is really much more than a bargain! Really rediculous.

 

Complete Mozartedition

Dear Titian

I understand your point " . " , but of the 275 or so CDs approximately 100 I suppose are CDs with opera and other vocal music, which would suffer the fate of collecting dust on my shelves forever. Bisides the fact that I haven't got the room for them. For that reason I prefer to acquire individual parts of the edition, if you can recommend them. Your words about the symphonies are very convincing, but your words about the piano concertos are not equally warm. I look forward to your words about the other concertos, the piano variations, the string4tets and 5tets among others.

Regards,

 

Concerning the pianoconcerti, which from the interpretation point I don't dislike at all, you should consider the fact of wanting to buy all the concerti and end up listening to maybe 15 of them. The CDs of the other concerts would also collect dust and use space. Choosing though individual CDs would certainly give you a better recording quality and the interpretation you would like the most. On the other end you will end up spending much more money.

I've listened to the other concerti but not enough for giving a comment on which someone wants to rely on. About the tempis I didn't hear anything which caught me in a negative way.

The Flute concerti are played by Graf and I believe, from the point of view interpretation, Peter-Lukas Graf is certainly from all points of view one of the best. I found that the original recordings of Claves (1984) were sounding slightly better when the full orchestra was playing.

The Clarinet concerto is nicely played even though I prefer a more virtuoso interpretation.

The Concerto for Flute & Harp sounded (recording) for me not ok. The interpretation was nice and light and with a positive character though.

The horn concerti were not bad, I prefer other interpretations (Tuckwell or Lowell Greer, harmondia MundiHCX 3957012). But the cost of the CD is nearly as much as the whole Volume 1 of the Mozart Edition, the box with all concerti for winds and the violon concerti also.

I listened quite superficially to the violon concerts. I thought the sound was good and the interpretation was very nice. I'll have another try and report if required.

What I think you might like is the Divertimenti and Serenades of Mozart. I haven't listened to that box yet, but when I listened through my other Mozart complete editions (Philips LPs) I was amazed by some works, which at that time I didn't know.

 

I know most of the piano concertos, and I would surely listen to nbrs. 9 - 27 incl. This is really the main part of the set.

Not that I have heard Graf that much, but he is for some reason unjustly rather unknown.

And the serenades and divertimenti might easily interest me. But don't forget some words about the piano varations and the 4tets and 5tets.

Regards,

 

Mozart

Dear Titian

You may perhaps think, I am crazy, but I have decided to order and have ordered the 40 CD Brilliant box with Mozarts greatest works, containing almost exclusively instrumental works. Price: 40 Euro, and it will make me able to obtain a good idea of the content of the complete set. But I am also very interested in your thoughts about the set.

Best regards,

 

I've persuaded my Aged Ps to buy the complete set for me this Christmas. I hold you responsible for my happiness

 

I just read your message. Till end of this week I haven't much time since there is a member of a german Forum who came to visit me (since 10 days) and in the evenings we hear just exclusively electronic jazz.
Before he came I heard the violon concertis again and they made me this time a little annoyed / nervous when hearing them. I don't know though if it was cause of me.
I'll let you know. Also I don't know if the interpretations in the 40CD box are the same of the complete edition. I'll check that also.

AH,
I hope you'll enjoy them. Do you mean the 40CD-Box or the 170 CD- Edition?


best regards

titian

 

Yesterday I received the 40CD set. All the late symphonies, almost all the concertos including all the piano concertos, and also Figaro and Requiem, but very little chamber music and divertimenti and no piano variations. Havent got the time to listen yet. Great expectations though.

Cheers,