Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, The Festival Winds :: Mozart?

Maybe by Mozart, Maybe Not But Delightful in Any Case

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 01/20/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As of the date of this review Amazon has done a lousy job of outlining the particulars of this CD. It is a collection of wind partitas (Harmoniemusik) -- for two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons and two horns, plus double bass -- that are included in an appendix to the Köchel catalog of Mozart's works. They are possibly, even probably, not by Mozart, but were included in the Köchel as genuine when Alfred Einstein revised the catalog in 1937. They have since been taken back out of the main catalog and relegated to Appendix C (Anhang C). Be that as it may, they are delightful works and they are played to a fare-thee-well by nine nimble Canadian instrumentalists calling themselves the Festival Winds. And as filler there is also included the Beethoven Rondino in E Flat, WoO 25.



Just so you'll know: the precise contents of the maybe-Mozart works are the four- and five-movement Partitas in E Flat, B Flat, E Flat, E Flat, & F (K. Anh. 17.01 - 17. 05) plus fragment (Adagio/Allegro in E Flat, K. Anh. 17.07), spread over two CDs with a total time of 126 mins.



If you're familiar with others of Mozart's wind serenades you'll know what to expect. It might be helpful to think of them as Mozartean Tafelmusik, background music that nonetheless repays close attention. And I don't think you'll find better performances anywhere. These eight Canadian wind players are topnotch. (And I mustn't forget to applaud the addition of a double bass, in this case the principal of the Toronto Symphony.)



Recommended.



Scott Morrison"