Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Charles Mackerras, Orchestra of St. Luke's [members of] :: "Mozart: Serenade for 13 Winds ""Gran Partita"""

Beautiful

Trevor Gillespie | San Jose, California United States | 10/14/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I own this Mackerras version of the Gran Partita. It is absolutely phenomenal. I fell in love with the work when I heard it played in Amadeus. The way Salieri said he felt like he was hearing the voice of God, made me realize, that perhaps this was a valid thought. I immediately purchased the soundtrack for this particular piece. I liked it so much that when I saw Mackerras came out with this, I had to buy it. It is much better. The sound, the pace, the phrasing---gorgeous."

One of the Most Beautiful Pieces of Music Ever Given a Beaut

Suzanne | Oklahoma City, OK United States | 12/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like many, I'm sure I fell in love with this piece (and Mozart's music in general) after watching the film Amadeus. Salieri's vivid and tear jerking description of The Gran Partita's adagio never fails to send shiver down my spine when I hear it: "On the page it looked nothing. The beginning simple, almost comic. Just a pulse - bassoons and basset horns - like a rusty squeezebox. Then suddenly - high above it - an oboe, a single note, hanging there unwavering, till a clarinet took over and sweetened it into a phrase of such delight! This was no composition by a performing monkey! This was a music I'd never heard. Filled with such longing, such unfulfillable longing, it had me trembling. It seemed to me that I was hearing a voice of God."



Well, that was several years ago that I first saw the film and now I'm the proud owner of the Philips Complete Mozart Edition yet I still always find myself buying Mozart Cd's of works that I truly love (can one have enough of such great music?). It goes without saying that The Gran Partita, Mozart's 10th Serenade is one the best works of his earlier period (basically anything before K. 400 or so) and actually one of his best pieces of music period.



This performance pretty much does everything absolutely right. I can't help but think this is the exact music Salieri would've heard in his head when he said that quote. And even after hearing it hundreds of times I literally melt every time the adagio plays. But the rest of movements are just as close to perfection. I must say that this version even bests the one in the Complete Mozart Edition, but I'm glad I have both.



In short, I highly recommend this to anyone who loves Mozart and this piece in particular. I do wish they would've put another work on hear to compliment the Gran Partita though. Perhaps the Haffner Serenade or even Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Despite the absense of any other work you still definitely get your money's worth form what's here. Highly recommended."

A "Gran Partita" for the ages

Suzanne | 10/26/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I feel confident giving this disc 5 stars. I've heard the Gran Partita by many ensembles on record and in the concert hall, and this one reaches perfection early and maintains it throughout. Essential."