Mozart symphonies - who is going to play them in the future ?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I wondered that too.

[cloughie]

It would be wonderful to hear some BBCSO Mozart let's hope Oramo brings it back .

Sound idea Barbs - 38/39/41 please!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Why ?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107048/

[heliocentric]

(even though Mozart liked such things)?

At the risk of groundhogging: yes he did - of course with natural brass instruments, wooden flutes, oboes with eight keys at most, etc. etc., thus (IMO and independent of any appeal to "authenticity") much richer and more variegated in sound than the same music played by the relatively homogeneous "modern" equivalent - but one reason would have been that it was such an unusual thing to hear, and there's no evidence as far as I know that he'd have wanted his music always to have been played by such forces, especially things like piano concertos where a large orchestra would have completely swamped the kind of instrument he wrote the solo part for.

If anyone prefers the sound of a "modern" orchestra that's up to them of course, and nobody could reasonably object; the problem here is that the idea of justifying one's personal taste on the grounds that the composer "would have" shared those preferences is totally spurious.

[Bryn]

Somewhat OT, heliocentric, but what do you make of Arthur Schoonderwoerd's Mozart concerto recordings?

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Accent/ACC24265

[Simon]

Without wanting to diminish the initial post, I can't help feeling that reports of the lack of Mozart are nothing much to worry about. The Proms are important in some ways, of course, but not in others and they only reflect one small section of the wide world of classical music. There's a natural BBC wish in the programming to cover all the usual trendy adjectives and so if that means programming some third rate stuff rather than Mozart, then it will happen. Someone - a professional musician - said to me yesterday that he hadn't bothered much with the Proms this year, as there was so much rubbish on. I can't comment, as I've been away and hardly glanced at the programme, but in my view in the past at any rate there has always been enough first rate stuff programmed to make them worthwhile.

But whatever happens at the Proms, or with Symphony orchestras, my bet is that there are thousands of music lovers across the world who will play Mozart symphonies on their own personal music systems on a very regular basis. And I'd bet there's at least one programmed with some orchestra fairly close to me within the next few weeks as well.

Predictions are often wrong and sometimes foolish, but I doubt many would disagree that some of Mozart's symphonies will be around, and will be being played, assuming the world continues as it is, for many centuries yet! So no real worries, I don't think.

Best wishes to all,

S-S!

[heliocentric]

Somewhat OT, heliocentric, but what do you make of Arthur Schoonderwoerd's Mozart concerto recordings?

I didn't know they existed! but I like his Beethoven concertos a lot.

[Bryn]

I didn't know they existed! but I like his Beethoven concertos a lot.

I asked because while I found the Mozart performances both engaging and something of a challenge, I know my positive reaction to them is not shared by at least one other enthusiast for Schoonderwoerd's Beethoven recordings.

[Dave2002]

Somewhat OT, heliocentric, but what do you make of Arthur Schoonderwoerd's Mozart concerto recordings?

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Accent/ACC24265

How do they compare with other authentic/HIP performances? This is an area where I don't think I've got any recordings in this style, though I do have some really good performances on modern instruments - Kovacevich, Goode and Brendel - which I like a lot, and Perahia, Barenboim and Uchida which I've not played enough to be sure whether I like them or not - though that says something of course. I'm still hoping there'll be another reissue of Ingrid Haebler's set at some time. I have Derek Han in a box set - are some of those on a fortepiano? I've not listened to many.

I had meant to get Bilson's set, and perhaps also Levin's, but it hasn't happened yet. Who else is in the running? Sofronitsky?

Re Schoonderwoerd, his recording(s) seem to be one instrument/part, which could be just too small and give a rather thin sound. It might be interesting (!!) but certainly in some of the later concerti I doubt whether Mozart intended that.

[rauschwerk]

Re Schoonderwoerd, his recording(s) seem to be one instrument/part, which could be just too small and give a rather thin sound. It might be interesting (!!) but certainly in some of the later concerti I doubt whether Mozart intended that.

That's put with extreme mildness! One string to a part in K466 and 467, both of which have trumpets and drums? That's lunacy. It is believed that Mozart may have used solo strings in certain passages, but in whole concerti? Come on! I have listened to samples of these recordings and the sound of artificially boosted solo strings scrubbing away is not a pleasant one.

[Bryn]

The numbers of instruments used is claimed to be based on those Mozart actually experienced in early performances. When one recalls that he arranged at least some of the earlier concertos for string quartet and piano, it does call into question that he would have expected just one instrument per part as the norm. That was the challenging aspect I referred to. I'll dig out the programme notes and see if I can offer chapter and verse form them. Not right now though.

[rauschwerk]

The concerti up to and including K449 have no independent wind parts and could also be played a quattro. (They did not need arranging). Therefore solo strings no problem here. I have not read any firm evidence that solo strings were used throughout performances of the later concerti.