A Mozart library limited to Five discs

[adamdavid80]

Inspired from the Mendellsohn thread, if you were to recommend a library consisting of FIVE existing (but COULD be OOP) Mozart discs, what would they be?

[Gurn Blanston]

Geez, that's hard even for someone who has a thousand or more Mozart disks...

Symphonies #40-41 - WP/Böhm
String Quintets K515-516 - L'Archibudelli
String Quartets #17 & 19 - Heutling Quartet
Piano Concerti #20 - 21 - English Baroque Soloists - Gardiner / Bilson
"Le Nozze di Figaro" - Concerto Köln / Jacobs

Note that (other than the opera) these are all single disks, not sets or even Duos. If that's what you want. then it's a different ball game.

[adamdavid80]

Geez, that's hard even for someone who has a thousand or more Mozart disks...

Symphonies #40-41 - WP/Böhm
String Quintets K515-516 - L'Archibudelli
String Quartets #17 & 19 - Heutling Quartet
Piano Concerti #20 - 21 - English Baroque Soloists - Gardiner / Bilson
"Le Nozze di Figaro" - Concerto Köln / Jacobs

Note that (other than the opera) these are all single disks, not sets or even Duos. If that's what you want. then it's a different ball game.

awesome (the bohm is a bit of a surprise!)

Mmmm...no box sets, but I guess a double disc is within the games rules....(espeically if it encompasses a single work, rather than a collection of various symphonies or trios or whatever...)

[mn dave]

Symphonies #40-41 - WP/Böhm
String Quintets K515-516 - L'Archibudelli
String Quartets #17 & 19 - Heutling Quartet
Piano Concerti #20 - 21 - English Baroque Soloists - Gardiner / Bilson
"Le Nozze di Figaro" - Concerto Köln / Jacobs

[Bulldog]

Great Mass in C minor - Leppard/EMI
Requiem - Schreier/Philips
Clarinet Concerto/Flute and Harp Concerto - Bohm/DG
Magic Flute - Klemperer/EMI
Solo Piano - Uchida/Philips

The Leppard is no. 1 for me.

[Opus106]

Symphonies #40-41 - WP/Böhm
String Quintets K515-516 - L'Archibudelli
String Quartets #17 & 19 - Heutling Quartet
Piano Concerti #20 - 21 - English Baroque Soloists - Gardiner / Bilson
"Le Nozze di Figaro" - Concerto Köln / Jacobs

the bohm is a bit of a surprise!

Indeed.

Gurn, what would your choice be if you were limited to HIP? (Just the symphonies, of course.)

[Gurn Blanston]

Indeed.

Gurn, what would your choice be if you were limited to HIP? (Just the symphonies, of course.)

Well, I am very fond of the Academy of Ancient Music / Hogwood symphonies. I don't know the Pinnock ones, but I wouldn't be sad to take Hogwood to the Island.   That would make the whole list HIP...   That WP/Böhm is awfully good though... 

[Opus106]

Well, I am very fond of the Academy of Ancient Music / Hogwood symphonies. I don't know the Pinnock ones, but I wouldn't be sad to take Hogwood to the Island.   That would make the whole list HIP...   That WP/Böhm is awfully good though... 

Thanks. I have heard two or three symphonies from the Bohm/VPO/DG set on the radio. While I sort of like the finale of the 35th, overall I find Bohm too slow for my liking. (A traffic pile-up...you take it at one tempo in your head, he takes it slower, and WHAM! )

[dirkronk]

With the understanding that this must be viewed as a "starter" set and in no way a substitute for a serious representation:

- Sym. 35/40/41--Szell/Cleveland
- Violin sonatas K 301, 304, 376 & 378--Grumiaux/Haskil
- Piano cto.20 K466 & 24 K491--Haskil/Markevitch/Lamoureux (or if you prefer, substitute:
  Piano cto.21 K467 "Elvira madigan", 26 K537 "coronation"--Casadesus/Szell/Cleveland)
- Glass harmonica adagio & rondo, oboe quartet & quintet--Hoffmann, Holliger, Krebbers, Nicolet et al. on Philips

The 5th item should be some disc with the EKN and a couple of other Serenades/Divertimenti--maybe by the Orpheus CO, by Manze & company, or possibly even the old Bruno Walter CBS disc.

Still...geez, no string quartets or quintets, no clarinet concerto, no arias/lieder or opera, no piano sonatas. Nope. Can't be done. Sorry.

Dirk

[Todd]

While not strictly five discs, the five recordings I could be happy with include:

Piano Sonatas – Michael Endres
Piano Concertos – Casadesus / Szell (how could I select but one or two discs' worth?)
String Quintets – Budapest Quartet, et al
Le Nozze di Figaro –  Giulini
Die Zauberflote – Abbado

[Guido]

Over 1000 Mozart CDs?! I am speechless.

[dirkronk]

I have heard two or three symphonies from the Bohm/VPO/DG set on the radio. While I sort of like the finale of the 35th, overall I find Bohm too slow for my liking.

I respond in similar manner to Bohm's WAM. Try Szell. He gets the speeds just right IMO.

Dirk

[adamdavid80]

The Leppard is no. 1 for me.

Is this the one on EMI?  Blue sky over a castle/church skyline?

[Wanderer]

[adamdavid80]

Wanderer -

What's the last one?  I can't quite make it out.

(And so much love for Moz's vocal works!  I never would have thought, but am pleasantly surprised, and looking forward to exploring these!)

And I only just recently got myself the Anda PC's.  Wonderful, the lbest of the four boxes I now have of the PC's)(even though ya broke the rules of no boxes)   

[Gurn Blanston]

Thanks. I have heard two or three symphonies from the Bohm/VPO/DG set on the radio. While I sort of like the finale of the 35th, overall I find Bohm too slow for my liking. (A traffic pile-up...you take it at one tempo in your head, he takes it slower, and WHAM! )

I have the Böhm / BP set too, but this is the one I meant:



The playing and conducting is NOT carbon copy by any means. Interesting contrast in styles, in fact. Anyway, this one with the WP is worth a listen, for sure. Very compelling.

[hornteacher]

1) Symphony 40 and 41 - Mackerras/Prague Chamber Orchestra
2) Clarinet Concerto/Clarinet Quintet - Martin Frost
3) Marriage of Figaro - Gardiner
4) Piano Concerto 20 and 23 - Moravec/Marriner
5) Requiem - Marriner/ASMF

[dirkronk]

4) Piano Concerto 20 and 23 - Moravec/Marriner

I think the piano concertos are precisely why it's so darn hard to keep Mozart down to a limited few versions. Moravec, Haskil, Casadesus, Lily Kraus, Annie Fischer, Kempff, Gilels, Edwin Fischer, and name your fave here have all recorded multiple Mozart PCs worthy of repeat hearings. And I can name even more pianists with at least one or two PC recordings (Fleisher/Szell in 25, others) that shouldn't be ignored either. It's a major burden for the collector, I say!


Dirk

[Wanderer]

Wanderer -

What's the last one?  I can't quite make it out.

An excellent Zauberflöte (with Damrau/Kühmeier/Bespaolvaite/Gerhaher/Pape/Groves/Ulrich/Staatsopernchor Wien/VPO/Muti) which, thanks to Pierre Audi's staging, is also a veritable feast for the eyes.

[Gurn Blanston]

I think the piano concertos are precisely why it's so darn hard to keep Mozart down to a limited few versions. Moravec, Haskil, Casadesus, Lily Kraus, Annie Fischer, Kempff, Gilels, Edwin Fischer, and name your fave here have all recorded multiple Mozart PCs worthy of repeat hearings. And I can name even more pianists with at least one or two PC recordings (Fleisher/Szell in 25, others) that shouldn't be ignored either. It's a major burden for the collector, I say!


Dirk

Quite right, Dirk. And your list is just the "Golden Age", not even counting myriad really good modern and HIP versions.

I would say that so far, I would take anyone's list that they've posted (although most are orchestra-heavy, ahem...) and be happy with them.

I could also propose an alternative list of 5 small boxes (2 - 9 disks each) that would be nice to have too:

1 - Last 10 String Quartets - Quattuor Mosaiques                                              5 disks
2 - Complete String Quintets - Griller Quartet / Primrose                                      2 disks
3 - "Une Soireé chez les Jacquins" - Ensemble 415 / Gilles Thomé                            2 disks
4 - Complete Music for Winds - Wind Soloists of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe    5 disks
5 - Complete works for solo fortepiano - Ronald Brautigam                                   9 disks

And that list doesn't even touch an orchestra in any way, yet would still keep a music lover busy for a long time before you got tired on any of it.




----------------
Listening to:
Louis Emmanuel Jadin Nocturnes for Oboe & Piano - Vandeville / Louchart / Rouault - Nocturne #1 in a for Oboe & Piano 2nd mvmt - Andantino