There have been a few posts of late from people who, honestly enough, have said that they like only a few works by Mozart. Brassbandmaestro is one, and it's clear that he's being sincere and not posting (as some have done in the past) simply to cause upset.
This is a shame in my view, as despite the wonders of so many other composers, if I had to choose only one I was allowed to listen to for the rest of eternity it would be Mozart, without question. But of course we all accept that one anothers' tastes vary, depending on our particular experience of life and music.
Wolfie wrote so much of such quality that it's hard to pick out one - or even a dozen - pieces that might cause someone who hasn't such a high opinion to perhaps give him another chance. In any case, once the piece is chosen, there's the question of whose performance! Those with a very wide knowledge and experience of his music, and with many different performances under their belts, so to speak - and I'm thinking here of Wilf and Bryn in particular - would be better placed to suggest something than me, and sadly we haven't persuaded Wilf to join in here, yet.
Nonetheless, there are a few logical places to start, and for me as a pianist it's handy that one of these is with the piano sonatas or concertos, as these I know quite well. They vary immensely and contain some of Mozart's most energetic, as well as his most sublime, music. Also, some of his best-known tunes!
So I'm picking out one youtube link in the hopes that it will be enjoyed. It might surprise some as it's not the C minor concerto, though that was tempting! It's a youthful looking Zoltan Kocsis with Jiri B, playing, appropriately enough, in the Knight's Hall in Prague. It's the last movement of the A major concerto, which I think they bring off extremely well indeed - and it's maybe a bit faster than usual. I love it! Full of exuberance, it's hard not to smile at it, and in terms of where the music takes you, with often simple enough figures but always avoiding the trite, it has to be about as perfect as you can get! I'd be surprised to hear that anyone didn't actively enjoy hearing and watching.
If you like it, do try the second movement of the same concerto (from the side links), which is in the relative minor and which is gloriously dreamy, with the undertones of wistfulness that so often inhabited Mozart's music.
Other, similar suggestions, by those knowledgeable on Mozart, would be most welcome, I'm sure. Bryn?
bws to all
Simon
This is a shame in my view, as despite the wonders of so many other composers, if I had to choose only one I was allowed to listen to for the rest of eternity it would be Mozart, without question. But of course we all accept that one anothers' tastes vary, depending on our particular experience of life and music.
Wolfie wrote so much of such quality that it's hard to pick out one - or even a dozen - pieces that might cause someone who hasn't such a high opinion to perhaps give him another chance. In any case, once the piece is chosen, there's the question of whose performance! Those with a very wide knowledge and experience of his music, and with many different performances under their belts, so to speak - and I'm thinking here of Wilf and Bryn in particular - would be better placed to suggest something than me, and sadly we haven't persuaded Wilf to join in here, yet.
Nonetheless, there are a few logical places to start, and for me as a pianist it's handy that one of these is with the piano sonatas or concertos, as these I know quite well. They vary immensely and contain some of Mozart's most energetic, as well as his most sublime, music. Also, some of his best-known tunes!
So I'm picking out one youtube link in the hopes that it will be enjoyed. It might surprise some as it's not the C minor concerto, though that was tempting! It's a youthful looking Zoltan Kocsis with Jiri B, playing, appropriately enough, in the Knight's Hall in Prague. It's the last movement of the A major concerto, which I think they bring off extremely well indeed - and it's maybe a bit faster than usual. I love it! Full of exuberance, it's hard not to smile at it, and in terms of where the music takes you, with often simple enough figures but always avoiding the trite, it has to be about as perfect as you can get! I'd be surprised to hear that anyone didn't actively enjoy hearing and watching.
If you like it, do try the second movement of the same concerto (from the side links), which is in the relative minor and which is gloriously dreamy, with the undertones of wistfulness that so often inhabited Mozart's music.
Other, similar suggestions, by those knowledgeable on Mozart, would be most welcome, I'm sure. Bryn?
bws to all
Simon
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