Mozart Fest

[Martin]

Agreed, kb, it's been put together really well. I've particularly enjoyed Classsical Collection with the interesting guests who have something pertinent and illuminating to say.

The early works have stood up quite well, I've thought, especially when mingled with the mature pieces. You can see where he's come from, and they sound as good as early Haydn or JC Bach and others in that style. Not to be dismissed too quickly.

Notwithstanding that, if anyone sets up the Society for the Prevention of Minuets, I may well subscribe.

[french frank]

Yes, FF, meant that by 'his documentary', but thanks.

Not at all (Note to self: 'Always read to the end of the question.'

[kernelbogey]

Martin - on checking, I find it was Divertimenti K203 and K204 that palled for me - albeit heard on TTN very early in the morning when drifting in and out of sleep. I don't dismiss them, but perhaps would find them more interesting if the context were JH, JCB, CPEB et al rather than twelve days of WAM!

[aeolium]

One thing I find surprising, looking at the schedules and playlists, is the amount of work repetition there is. For instance (just in the last few days) 2 complete performances of the Hunt quartet plus another performance of the 1st movement; at least 2 complete performances of the clarinet concerto, 2 of the violin concerto no 5, 2 in successive days of the G major piano concerto K453, today the 1st movement of the Paris symphony followed by a complete performance a couple of hours later. And this is not taking into account any repetition in the evening request programmes. Surely it would have been possible to devise a schedule that minimised repetition, especially when there is already so much Mozart scheduled.

[Suffolkcoastal]

Looking at how it has been put together, it seems to have been competently done roughly in a way that I would have expected but nothing remarkable. I expect it has been planned for a couple of years and keeping to one composer makes it much easier to organise than say surveying the works of Mozart contemporaries alongside that of Mozart. That would have been a more ambitious and somewhat more illuminating idea and more of what I would have expected from R3. Anyway it it will all be over by this time next week and we'll be back to the regular diet of plenty more Mozart, plus La Mer, La Valse, Slavonic & Hungarian Dances etc ..... well back to the ipod!

[Panjandrum]

One thing I find surprising, looking at the schedules and playlists, is the amount of work repetition there is. For instance (just in the last few days) 2 complete performances of the Hunt quartet plus another performance of the 1st movement; at least 2 complete performances of the clarinet concerto, 2 of the violin concerto no 5, 2 in successive days of the G major piano concerto K453, today the 1st movement of the Paris symphony followed by a complete performance a couple of hours later. And this is not taking into account any repetition in the evening request programmes. Surely it would have been possible to devise a schedule that minimised repetition, especially when there is already so much Mozart scheduled.

Aeolium, I think the point is that without repetition, the Mozartfest would not have lasted 12 days.

By my reckoning, 700 works at an average of, say 20 minutes (including introductions etc), equates to 230 hours, or something just under 10 full days. of course, some might argue that 10 days would be more than sufficient.

[kernelbogey]

I've noticed that in some cases (eg Gran Partita) some duplications represent differing instrumentation. Perhaps also true of K453 (fortepiano/modern piano?). I agree about the single movement duplications but assume these are to make a particular historical/musical point in that day's theme, and/or for outreach purposes as they are well known or considered more accessible.

[Bryn]

One thing I find surprising, looking at the schedules and playlists, is the amount of work repetition there is. For instance (just in the last few days) 2 complete performances of the Hunt quartet plus another performance of the 1st movement; at least 2 complete performances of the clarinet concerto, 2 of the violin concerto no 5, 2 in successive days of the G major piano concerto K453, today the 1st movement of the Paris symphony followed by a complete performance a couple of hours later. And this is not taking into account any repetition in the evening request programmes. Surely it would have been possible to devise a schedule that minimised repetition, especially when there is already so much Mozart scheduled.

I haven't noticed any repition during The Genius of Mozart so far. I have heard very different performances of the same work, but not noticed any repetition as yet.

[Nick Armstrong]

I see tomorrow is Opera Day

Very glad I recorded the 3 hour prog the other night when Ms Klein and Mr Plaistow discussed and played recordings of piano performances... :cool2: That will provide ample Saturday listening.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Tuesday, 11th:
2 x VPO Bernstein Symphony no. 40

[aeolium]

I haven't noticed any repition during The Genius of Mozart so far. I have heard very different performances of the same work, but not noticed any repetition as yet.

Fair enough - I should have said multiple performances of the same work. I suppose the point is that when the complete works of a very prolific composer are being broadcast, is it a good thing to have those multiple performances (particularly of works, like the Clarinet Concerto, which are already very frequently broadcast)?

[Pianorak]

Did anyone listen to the Mozart piano sonata in a minor KV 310 this morning? Still cross with Ms Pires who managed to cancel each and every recital for which I had booked over the years - but her playing was superb and I am almost minded to forgive her.

[3rd Viennese School]

Maybe they could play other stuff. Like Tchaikovsky Suite no.4 Mozartina. etc.
And Schnittke Mozart a la Haydn. etc.

Etc.
3VS

"We are all but cows looking over a gate for half an hour"

[mikerotheatrenestr0y]

As I said before, in quite the wrong place, when I was only a onefer, I don't dread turning on for Wolfi, the way I did for JSB and Ludo, both of whom are all so terribly serious and earnest. Research and preparation? Up to a point. The Family letters fill four fat volumes [and I mean fat - I wish I'd nicked 'em when I took early retirement from Southampton University, cos I can't believe any other bugger will have got them out in the past 10 years] and, as one finds whenever they are read [quite well, apart from nobody telling them about real German pronunciation - and incidentally, did anyone else cringe at Peter Schreier's impersonation of an old woman in Die Alte? The poor fellow is from Saxony, and it really showed, when I was expecting a proper Austrian accent - Tirol or Viennese, not a worry, even Styrian, like Arnie - it's like having a Scottish song sung in Brummie!] they are FASCINATING!

So - why did nobody feel it was necessary to play the biographical card with Ludo or JSB??? [I recall that PIT had the completist treatment a few years ago, but it was only a weekend or so, probably with The Sorceress at 3 am, so it didn't impinge.] Nor did anyone explore different fine performances - there was no 48 with each one of the 96 played by someone different [you'd have to make sure you had the same type of instrument for each pair, and in tune, but otherwise...] So, is this progress, or dilution? Less wall-to-wall music and more thought about it, with some definitely interesting talk. [BTW, haven't both 622s been on modern standard clarinets, and not on Fred Bassett, the one with the long trailing ears?] As for the minuets - think of them as between-course sorbets - ear-cleaners. And nobody's produced the country-dance cards yet...

[amateur51]

While searching on-line for something else, I came across this set of Mozart-focussed interviews with musicians via the European Broadcasting Union:

http://www.ebu.ch/en/radio/euroradio_classics/musicora/