Mozart Haffner Serenade

[Barbirollians]

Well, what do you know...I do own it, then! Thanks Bryn, for the correction. Just goes to show how out of control my collection has become, though I suspect I am not the only one in this situation!

Thanks all.

[jayne lee wilson]

I pursued this work obsessively once through off-air recordings - but I can't find them now and wonder who it was.

On CD I began with VPO/Boskovsky (Decca), Salzburg Camerata/Vegh (Capriccio).... later admired a slightly too plain-spoken BRSO/Wand (Profil). But then two real gems turned up: an angel-tongued Berlin Phil/Abbado (rec.1996, released 2006), on the Berliners' short-lived live Im Takt der Zeit label; and my all-time favourite, the Salzburg Mozarteum with Hubert Soudant, all the warmth and vivacity one could wish and resplendently recorded, again live (22/08/99), on Orfeo.

I never looked for any others too hard after that; and to some extent had worn the work out emotionally. A very grand and inspired statement, I feel it's his earliest orchestral masterpiece really, with only the Symphony No.25 and the Violin Concertos as precedents.

It seems to have had relatively few period-instrument recordings; a shame Harnoncourt didn't follow up his splendid 2012 k.320 with the VCM. But perhaps Willens may do it with his Kölner Akademie on BIS, following their equally fresh, lovely Posthorn Serenade of a year or two ago....

[Lion-of-Vienna]

When Mozart extracted five movements from the K250 Serenade to create a symphony he added a timpani part that is not in the original work. You can hear that on the Hogwood CD. Recordings of the complete serenade will probably not use timpani.

It always seems strange to me that Mozart created a five movement symphony from K250 using two minuets rather than the conventional four movements. I am not aware of any other Mozart symphony that has five movements. When the second Haffner serenade was converted into a symphony K385 only one minuet was used and the other one has disappeared.

When Mozart extracted a symphony from the Posthorn Serenade K320 he used only three of the seven movements. Curious.

[verismissimo]

I just remembered that I have the 8 movement Haffner in an LP box of WAM serenades from Philips, K250 by the Dresden Staatskapelle under de Waart. Full of life. :)

[Stanfordian]

I just remembered that I have the 8 movement Haffner in an LP box of WAM serenades from Philips, K250 by the Dresden Staatskapelle under de Waart. Full of life. :)

I'm not sure this has made it onto CD. I hope it has.

[gurnemanz]

I just remembered that I have the 8 movement Haffner in an LP box of WAM serenades from Philips, K250 by the Dresden Staatskapelle under de Waart. Full of life. :)

This rang a bell with me. I retreated to my garage and found an East German LP which I must have acquired over there in the 70s with the same team doing the Serenade K203. It's on discogs. It must also be in that Philips box. I'm listening to it at the moment, having not touched it for over twenty years at least. It sounds very good with some fine solo violin playing from the wonderfully named, Uto Ughi. The only recording from that series which I could find on CD (Serenade K204) is part of the massive Mozart 225 (CD 65 here).

[cloughie]

I just remembered that I have the 8 movement Haffner in an LP box of WAM serenades from Philips, K250 by the Dresden Staatskapelle under de Waart. Full of life. :)

There was a 15 volume set of LPs from Philips in the late 1970s. This was in the Serenades and Divertimenti box mostly I think from Dresden with conductors Edo de Waart, Gunther Herbig and Otmar Suitner, some of wwhich have reappeared but not the DeWaart.

[Barbirollians]

I bought and generally have enjoyed the Mackerras but not without reservation . I don't find the tone of the leader in the violin concerto very ingratiating and his playing is a bit characterless.

[BBMmk2]

I bought and generally have enjoyed the Mackerras but not without reservation . I don't find the tone of the leader in the violin concerto very ingratiating and his playing is a bit characterless.

As you know, I’m not much of a fan of Mozart’s music. But I’m surprised you say this about Mackerras? What Orchestra is it?

[Barbirollians]

As you know, I’m not much of a fan of Mozart’s music. But I’m surprised you say this about Mackerras? What Orchestra is it?

Prague Chamber- I have no quarrel with the direction but the soloist in the violin concerto movements is a bit disappointing to my ears. Certainly , no Boskovsky.

[Barbirollians]

Prague Chamber- I have no quarrel with the direction but the soloist in the violin concerto movements is a bit disappointing to my ears. Certainly , no Boskovsky.

Now taken delivery of a secondhand copy of the Vienna /Boskovsky recording . Violin playing ( though it seems not to have been Boskovsky himself far more stylish - Lovely performance .

[BBMmk2]

Now taken delivery of a secondhand copy of the Vienna /Boskovsky recording . Violin playing ( though it seems not to have been Boskovsky himself far more stylish - Lovely performance .

Wouldn’t expect nothing less from him!

[Mal]

I bought and generally have enjoyed the Mackerras but not without reservation . I don't find the tone of the leader in the violin concerto very ingratiating and his playing is a bit characterless.

I agree about the lead violin, although I'm not too happy with the direction either, and the sound quality isn't up to much. This is going to the charity shop along with Marriner - too bland, it drags... although Iona Brown's violin playing is rather good, in patches. I've been scouring Amazon unlimited for something I might live with. I think I found it - one several forumistas have already mentioned - also Cowan & Kenyon's choice - Bruggen, with a beautiful violin performance by Lucy van Dael; direction is right, and so is sound quality. It passed my test of keeping me rapt throughout the whole performance, even at low bit rate, without a hint of boredom, and without wincing at the sound quality.There are some VG CDs at good prices, one less now,...

P.S. To give Mackerras his due, I'm really happy with his Jupiter/SCO, it's now my library choice. Also, I like Marriner in some of the later symphonies, and Piano Concertos with Brendel.

[verismissimo]

Prague Chamber- I have no quarrel with the direction but the soloist in the violin concerto movements is a bit disappointing to my ears. Certainly , no Boskovsky.

Barbs, the difference between the PragueCO/Mackerras soloist (Oldrich Vlcek) and Boskovsky is not to my mind one of quality but of having different artistic goals. For one thing, Boskovsky was playing in the mid-century with heavy and continuous vibrato, while Vlcek, recorded in 1988, is clearly influenced by HIP learnings. He uses vibrato much more sparingly than Willi.

I remember having a conversation with Peter Cropper in the late 80s. As you'll be aware, the Lindsays were by no means an HIP band, but Peter said to me that they had nevertheless been strongly influenced by HIP notions, among them the use of vibrato.

[cloughie]

Now taken delivery of a secondhand copy of the Vienna /Boskovsky recording . Violin playing ( though it seems not to have been Boskovsky himself far more stylish - Lovely performance .

There was a recording with Boskovsky playing with VPO conducted by Karl Munchinger - LP on Ace of Diamonds but never I think on CD!