Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Winds of the Berlin Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic Wind Ensemble :: Mozart: Serenades for Wind Ensemble

Great players from the Berlin Phil. in two masterpieces

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 09/02/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are so many challenges in Mozart's 'Gran Partita' Serenade #10 for 13 winds that I much prefer to have a conductor at the helm, especially when that conductor is Furtwangler or Klemperer. They made classic readings of this masterpiece, but here we have the thrill of the virtuoso wind players of the Berlin Phil., and they play like liquid silk. Balance and blending are flawless, and the group often takes fast tempos that show off their world-class skills. The music has never sounded sweeter or more infectious.



Another masterpiece, Serenade #11 K. 375, is for 8 winds (paired oboes, clarinets, bassoons, and horns). True to his dislike of the flute, Mozart excluded it from all three of his great wind serenades (the third one is K. 388). The Berliners bring the same upbeat, vivacious style to this work, making their new CD the best I've heard since the heyday of the Marlboro Festival under Serkin. EMI provides impeccable sound as well. It's high priase to say that one doesn't miss a condcutor at all."