Mozart

[Scion7]

The Alban Berg Quartett never recorded the first 13 quartets but their recording shown above for the 10 "late" quartets is great ...

It's also pleasing to hold those gatefold vinyl beauties ... speak soft words to them ... promise them what they want to hear over a glass of sangria .... ooooh, yes .... 

[Spotted Horses]

It's also pleasing to hold those gatefold vinyl beauties ... speak soft words to them ... promise them what they want to hear over a glass of sangria .... ooooh, yes .... 

I also had these recordings on vinyl, and only the most recent CD release captured the warmth of sound I remember. The Alban Berg Quartet sounded completely different to me when they moved to EMI. Maybe different engineering style, maybe personnel changes.

[Mandryka]

Oh bliss! Minasi makes the first movement of the Prague sound like music as uncompromisingly tough and dramatic and complicated as Don Giovanni. Gone for ever the sweet and elegant symphony I thought I knew and loved.

[Florestan]

Oh bliss! Minasi makes the first movement of the Prague sound like music as uncompromisingly tough and dramatic and complicated as Don Giovanni. Gone for ever the sweet and elegant symphony I thought I knew and loved.

Which recording have you been listening to that gave you this impression?

[Mandryka]

Which recording have you been listening to that gave you this impression?

Well I can't remember confidently, I think Mackerras's first.

I have a really strong memory of driving home from the opera at Covent Garden one summer's night maybe 20 years ago, and the route took me through Knightsbridge and Kensington. The bars and restaurants were lively, the rich at their leisure were spilling out on to the road --  beautiful people full of joy and life, young, elegant, refined  in the light of the moon and streetlamps. And in the background was my CD of the Prague symphony playing in the car.

It just seemed like the perfect backdrop for what I was seeing in London from the car that night. It was a formative experience, it shaped my view of the symphony.

And then Minasi came along this morning and shook me out of my complacency.

[Florestan]

Well I can't remember, I think Mackerras's first.

I have a really strong memory of driving home from the opera at Covent Garden one summer's night maybe 20 years ago, and the route took me through Knightsbridge and Kensington. The bars and restaurants were lively, the rich at their leisure were spilling out on to the road --  beautiful people full of joy and life, young, elegant, refined  in the light of the moon and streetlamps. And in the background was my CD of the Prague symphony playing in the car.

It just seemed like the perfect backdrop for what I was seeing in London from the car that night. It was a formative experience, it shaped my view of the symphony.

That's very strange. The "Prague" is anything but --- and I know of no recording which mellows and prettifies it to such an extent. Mackerras / Scottish CO, for instance, is precisely tough and dramatic in a Don Giovanni-esque manner, especially in the first movement. I haven't yet heard his take with the Prague CO.

And then Minasi came along this morning and shook me out of my complacency.

OTOMH, other dramatic and tough readings: Krips/Concvertgebouw, Peter Maag/Orchestra di Padova e di Veneto. Erich Leinsdorf/Royal PO, Ernest Bour / SWF Baden-Baden Orchestra, Trevor Pinnock/English Concert

Once again, I'm quite surprised by what you say. Are you sure you were not yourself a little tipsy back then? 

[Mandryka]

re you sure you were not yourself a little tipsy back then? 

In vino veritas

[Jo498]

I think the first LP I heard of the "Prague" (Sawallisch/Czech Phil, pretty straightforward, IIRC) described it in the notes as one of the most dramatic Mozart movements (1st). I got to know the 38 and 39 before the more famous 40 and 41 because I happened upon this LP first (and I still think they are a bit underrated compared to the last 2).
I think it is the greatest symphonic movement by Mozart, pace Jupiter finale, and always found it exhilarating and powerful.

[DavidW]

OTOMH, other dramatic and tough readings: Krips/Concvertgebouw, Peter Maag/Orchestra di Padova e di Veneto. Erich Leinsdorf/Royal PO, Ernest Bour / SWF Baden-Baden Orchestra, Trevor Pinnock/English Concert

Krips and Maag are the chef's kiss.  Exceptional.  Guess I should check out those other recordings you listed.  The 38th has my favorite opening of any symphony excepting perhaps Beethoven's 4th and it might even eclipse that one.  The way that the music switches from this menacing, somber opening to this vibrant, hyper in your face theme is just great, I never tire of it.

[Mandryka]

@Florestan etc etc.

I'd forgotten about this thread I started -- same anecdote reported in Post #1

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,31808.msg1457138.html#msg1457138

[atardecer]

Mozart's 38th was one of the works that got me into his music, love the dramatic French overture style intro. I have it on a recording that includes symphonies 36 and 39 with Karl Böhm and the Berlin philharmonic.

The 38th was the one that grabbed me the most first on this recording but over time I have come to enjoy 36 and 39 at least as much, the latter two in some ways perhaps seeming slightly more substantial. Though I consider all 3 great and up there with the last two.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

I love this set with Mackerras and the SCO.  Wish that I liked his Beethoven set as much. 



PD

[Florestan]

I love this set with Mackerras and the SCO.  Wish that I liked his Beethoven set as much. 



PD

There is also this one, of the same quality:

[Pohjolas Daughter]

There is also this one, of the same quality:

Oh, nice!  Do you happen to know when these recordings were from and when they were released?

I know that he did a number of performances with the SCO (at a festival I believe) and received the impression that they were well-regarded.  Wish that I could have seen some of them.

PD

[Mandryka]

Ébène + Tamsitt Mozart quintets. I just can't get past the slow lyrical approach to the C major quintet's andante (515.) It feels a bit sort of flaccid. Maybe another day, another frame of mind. Took retreat in Takacs + Pauk  - what a difference! The other movements of that quintet from Ebene seem rather nice though. 

[Mandryka]

The k593 here deserves to be heard I think



https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/78/000133587.pdf

[ando]

Enjoying this snapshot of the Mozarteum and Mozart's performance style uploaded a few days ago -

[JBS]

A question about recordings of WAM's violin sonatas.

I have the following sets

Podger/Cooper
Mutter/Orkis
Haebler/Szeryng
Capucon/Armstrong

Podger/Cooper is both the only PI set and the only one that is truly complete: the other three only include the 16 "mature" or "great" sonatas

Is there an MI cycle or set that includes the earlier sonatas (I suppose one could call them the "immature" sonatas)?
Does not need to be boxed up. In fact, individual CDs without the "mature" sonatas probably fits my needs more.

[Karl Henning]

@Gurn Blanston ?

[SonicMan46]

A question about recordings of WAM's violin sonatas.

I have the following sets

Podger/Cooper
Mutter/Orkis
Haebler/Szeryng
Capucon/Armstrong

Podger/Cooper is both the only PI set and the only one that is truly complete: the other three only include the 16 "mature" or "great" sonatas

Is there an MI cycle or set that includes the earlier sonatas (I suppose one could call them the "immature" sonatas)?
Does not need to be boxed up. In fact, individual CDs without the "mature" sonatas probably fits my needs more.

In addition to Podger/Cooper, I also own 5 2-CD sets (total 10 discs) of these works w/ Alina Ibragimova and Cedric Tiberghien - these were released on Hyperion (pics below from their website - click to enlarge) - check there for reviews; if you have access to the Fanfare Archive, all of these sets are reviewed w/ excellent comments. Hope this helps.  Dave