What about a Bal on Mozart Quintet for piano and winds, K452

[salymap]

This was my big discovery in the Mozart Fest and Ican't get the third movement of it off my mind.

I think the scoring is for Piano,oboe,clarinet,bassoon and horn.

First I heard a wonderful broadcast with Murray Perahia and Anthony Halstead, plus other wind

then a broadcast by young artists which I taped but can't put my hand on at the moment.

I now also have Colin Horsley and Dennis Brain, plus other wind.

After we've listened to the Tchaikovsky op 50 today, what do you recommend on the Mozart?

[Mr Pee]

This is a wonderful piece, one of Mozart's true masterpieces, in my opinion. The CD that I've got is on Philips, and has Alfred Brendel on piano, with Heinz Holliger, Herman Baumann, Klaus Thunemann, and Eduard Brunner. It's a lovely performance.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beethoven-Mozart-Piano-Wind-Quintets/dp/B00000E3IV/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1295086174&sr=8-2

I'm so glad you've discovered this marvellous piece courtesy of the Mozart fest.

[aeolium]

Yes, I'd be in favour of a BaL on this, salymap - a superb work (Mozart thought it the best he had composed up to that point). I also like the Perahia/ECO Wind recording (all those ECO wind players are on top form). Other performances I like are Ashkenazy and London Winds, and the old Melos Ensemble recording with the excellent Lamar Crowson still sounds pretty good.

A difficult job for the reviewer, I would have thought.

[rauschwerk]

In 2007 Martin Cotton recommended Brendel et al. I doubt if that has since been surpassed. If it's only available in a big boxed set, you could always download it.

[Pianorak]

Now listening to this with Ottetto Italiano and Michel Dalberto on Spotify. (January CD budget already exhausted)

[antongould]

I, on salymap's recommendation, have gone back to this piece after many moons "away" and downloaded a (very) cheapy by the Nash Ensemble which I doubt would not make any BAL past or yet to come. I however love the piece and can well imagine Brendel, my favourite WAM pianist, being quite wonderful - I must hunt it out.

[Tony Halstead]

Do you mean 'I doubt would make any BAL'?

[salymap]

Antongould is in Prague so an answer may not be forthcoming at once. I would like to hear that first performance I mentioned again. I felt it had the edge even over the Brain because of the ensemble work.

How could I have missed this work for all those years, sad.

[Tony Halstead]

Re. the Perahia/ ECO players recording ( nearly 20 years old now!) my 'spies' tell me that although it was recorded 'live' at the Snape Maltings, the only part of the concert that is heard on the CD is the 3rd movement. Apparently Mr P was very 'picky' about some of the little blemishes and accidents in the 1st two movements and insisted that the ensemble stay behind after the concert to do a few 're-takes'. In the end, they finished, very tired indeed, at about 2 a.m.!

[salymap]

Waldhorn. Thank your 'spies' for that interesting information.. Do you know if it is still available?

one small bonus with the Dennis Brain performance is 1 min 32 sec of DB playing a bit of the Leopold Mozart Concerto for Hose-pipe and Strings. Blink and you miss it! bws

[antongould]

Waldhorn
Yes that is what I mean - my apologies!

[Nick Armstrong]

Re. the Perahia/ ECO players recording ( nearly 20 years old now!) my 'spies' tell me that although it was recorded 'live' at the Snape Maltings, the only part of the concert that is heard on the CD is the 3rd movement. Apparently Mr P was very 'picky' about some of the little blemishes and accidents in the 1st two movements and insisted that the ensemble stay behind after the concert to do a few 're-takes'. In the end, they finished, very tired indeed, at about 2 a.m.!

Waldhorn, yes I've heard that story too - from one of the players on the recording.

What a sublime piece it is. It's the Perahia version on my shelf too, I'd forgotten that it had been on BAL as recently as 2007. Must give it a listen very soon. Thanks saly.