Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment :: Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 1, 3, 4

Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 1, 3, 4
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 1, 3, 4
Genre: Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (9) - Disc #1

Many performers consider Mozart's music the most difficult to play really well. Viktoria Mullova, who initially became famous playing romantic and virtuoso concertos, makes it sound not only easy, but absolutely right. Her...  more »

     
?

Larger Image

CD Details

All Artists: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Title: Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 1, 3, 4
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Philips
Original Release Date: 1/1/2002
Re-Release Date: 9/10/2002
Genre: Classical
Styles: Chamber Music, Forms & Genres, Concertos, Historical Periods, Classical (c.1770-1830), Instruments, Strings
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 028947029229

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Many performers consider Mozart's music the most difficult to play really well. Viktoria Mullova, who initially became famous playing romantic and virtuoso concertos, makes it sound not only easy, but absolutely right. Her technique is flawless and brilliant, but always at the service of the music. Her tone is utterly beautiful, combining purity with a warm, radiant glow. Her phrasing is elegant, her pacing steady yet flexible. Her tempi are moderate, with plenty of time to let the music breathe. She blends artless simplicity with the most artful subtlety and aristocratic nobility, playing from deep inside the music and making every note expressive; there is not one fussy, obvious moment, not even a slide, in the whole record. Perhaps most striking is her ability to change mood and expression in an instant by varying the color and nuance of her tone with bow and vibrato. The slow movements sing with heavenly serenity; the fast ones, especially the Finale of the D major Concerto, have a courtly grace. Mullova uses cadenzas by Ottavio Dantone, even for No. 4 in preference to Joachim's. They are a bit long, but they're skillfully done, as is her own for the Finale of No. 3. Surely, this must be one of the best recordings of these oft-recorded pieces. Do not be put off by the outré cover photographs: they belie the impeccable style of both soloist and orchestra. --Edith Eisler
 

CD Reviews

Mullova returns!
02/02/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Viktoria Mullova has kind of faded lately from the mainstream classical vocabulary, if you will, but not from the minds and hearts of her fans. This album is wonderful. Mozart here is beautifully balanced; Viktoria and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment never sound Romantic or Baroque; these are Classical concertos in a performance that both reminds you and makes you forget when it was written; I just enjoyed the music. So will you. There is a grace and lyric dignity to this CD that is hard to quantify, but is impossible to miss.Oh by the way, the playing is flawless. Especially Mullova on that gut-strung Stradivarius! Wow!"
Stylish Classical
J. TIMMERMAN | Lawson, NSW Australia | 07/26/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Plenty of panache, sweetness and lyricism from Mullova here. Tempi seem just right and she makes light of even the most difficult passages. These performances really lift one's spirit as music should do. Sound quality is superb too, warm and detailed.



Better quality and more exciting than Monica Huggett's recordings (with same orchestra). Haven't heard Simon Standage's set so can't compare there.



Can't wait for Concertos 2 & 5!"