Stories of Mozart's musical precocity, especially centered on pianistic work, are well-known and form an integral part of our mythology around the composer. This release aims to bring wider attention to the charming opera Buffa La Finta Semplice, composed by Mozart at age 12. Full of light and elegant arias, skillful ensembles, and amusing characterizations, this recording casts the spotlight on a the delightful mind of a developing young composer.

Mozart: Gehn wir i'm Prater, Secular Canons, Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Artist Chamber Choir Of Europe, Nicol Matt conductor, Format 1 CD, Mozart considered canon-writing an essential compositional skill. Though canons are often small chamber works to be performed in company, Mozart's sketches of some of these works show that the composer carefully considered them before completion, giving them as much thought as his larger and more famous works. This collection includes Mozart's complete canons. The works vary in instrumentation and character; among the vocal ones are puzzle canons (which show one line of music and text, along with only the entry points of the other parts), the ambitious 12-part V'amo di core and the multi-lingual Bona nox! Bist a rechta Ox. Mozart's sense of humor is demonstrated in the two canons written to the daringly-named text of Leck mir den Arsch, as well as in the Difficile lectu mihi mars et jonicu difficile which, provided that the singer has the right accent, provides much hilarity. Aside from the vocal canons, there are several written for instruments, including the Adagio in F major, composed for two basset horns and bassoon. The vocal canons are performed here by the acclaimed Chamber Choir of Europe, directed by Nicol Matt. The collection also boasts performances by the Klarinetten-Trio der Musikschule Achern-Oberkirch and distinguished soloists of the Württembergischen Philharmonie Reutlingen. Recorded November 2002, Alte Kirche Fautenbach, Germany. That Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was not the angelic Wunderkind living in his musical heaven of divine inspiration is proven by his secular canons, which he wrote as a personal pastime entertainment. This is the other side of the genius, essential in order to get the complete picture of Mozart the man and musician. Not all canons bear titles like "leck mir den Arsch", some others are extremely witty and inventive musical jokes. Expertly sung and performed by the Chamber Choir of Europe, conducted by Nicol Matt.

At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, Europe experienced numerous political and social changes. The outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 not only entailed changes in yet stable state structures in a short time, but also influenced the normative canons in art, which resulted in a new epoch - the Romanticism. Nowadays, we find it's ideas in poetry, painting, and music. Those arts drew from each other; therefore, they were intertwined and they complemented themselves by expressing interior spiritual and emotional states of their authors. It is very interesting to see in this background the person and works of Franz Xaver Mozart - a pianist and composer, the youngest son of great Wolfgang Amadeus.

In the Summer of 1961, German Conductor Heinz Walberg Was in Charge of Teatro Colo?N's German Season and Decided to Present, Amongst Other Operatic Works, Mozart's Entfu?Hrung Aus Dem Serail. From a Time Prior to the Onrush of Historically-Informed Performances of Classical-Era Works, This Old-Fashioned (In the Best Sense of That Term) Production Featured a Cast Including Fritz Wunderlich As Belmonte, the Revered Anneliese Rothenberger, Renate Holm, Eugenio Valori, Who Sang at This Theater for Three Decades and Kurt Bohme, Whose Singing Career Lasted in Excess of Fifty Years.

MOZART Serenades: in D, K 239, “Serenata notturna”; in G, K 525, “Eine kleine Nachtmusik.” Divertimento in B, K 287 • Patrick Cohën-Akenine (vn), cond; Les Folies Francaises • ALPHA 092 (71:10)


Les Folies Francaises is a group of 18 musicians here led by violinist Patrick Cohën-Akenine in three occasional works, two very famous, and one relatively neglected. Perhaps neglected is not the ideal word for the Divertimento in B, yet it has received infinitely fewer recordings than the “Serenata notturna” and the ever-popular “Eine kleine Nachtmusik.” I have all three in lovely recordings by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, several in distinguished recordings by Colin Davis, Eugen Jochum, and there are more modern recordings, equally charming, by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. In fact, the choices are vast.


Les Folies Francaises offers early-music balances and transparency. The timpani are prominent in the opening march of the “Serenata notturna,” which was recorded in a resonant space that lets the drum sound unfold. The engineers were also alert to the conversational quality of this Serenade and of the other two pieces. We hear the solos strings separated, though not excessively, from the larger group in a way I find effective and even illuminating. The echo effects, or something like them, in “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” are especially well done. The performances are perky, clear, dance-like, and meant to charm rather than overwhelm. I never yearn for a larger group, or a more imposing sound. Without knowing for sure, one begins to believe that this was the way Mozart intended these pieces to be played.


FANFARE: Michael Ullman

MOZART String Quartet No. 18. String Quintet in D, K 593 1 • Brentano Str Qrt; Hsin-Yun Huang (va) 1 • AEON 747 (62:25)


Chamber music enthusiasts not yet familiar with the Brentano String Quartet have a rare treat in store. Soon after joining forces in 1992, the quartet won the Cleveland Quartet and Naumburg prizes. Today they continue a rigorous schedule of international tours. As with all the finest quartets, Brentano’s members—violinists Mark Steinberg and Serena Canin, violist Misha Amory, and cellist Nina Maria Lee—are individually gifted players of the first rank. Their latest release is an unusual pairing of one of Mozart’s quartets dedicated to Haydn with the D-Major viola Quintet.


From the initial statement of the primary thematic material in the A-Major Quartet, the Brentano is at pains to give each line its individual expressive shape and proportion. Every gesture is imbued with meaning; every harmonic progression has a sense of inevitable forward momentum. The variations of the extended slow movement unfold as a series of vividly individual characters. The rich polyphonic textures of the Allegro non troppo finale, reflecting Mozart’s involvement with Bach’s music at the time, emerge in luminous colors and with breathtaking clarity.


Since one rarely encounters a string quartet followed by a quintet in either performances or recordings, hearing K 593 on the heels of the A-Major Quartet is astonishing: what an amplification of texture Mozart creates with the addition of another mezzo voice. The slow introduction to the opening Allegro is touching in its tenderness and uncertainty. In the Adagio, the dead-center intonation makes the chains of suspensions almost heart-rending. The Minuet, one of Mozart’s finest, is filled with contrast: savor, for instance, the delicacy of the pizzicatos in the Ländler-like trio. The joyous finale fairly bursts with ebullient vitality.


Technical values of the sound engineering, made at the Academy of Arts and Letters, one of New York City’s preferred recording venues, are extraordinarily high. All the nuances of the Brentano’s lean but fruity sound are evident. Antoine Mignon’s notes are evocative and well translated. Ultimately, of course, the performances are what matters. This is playing that, while employing modern instruments, is fully cognizant of the ways and means of 18th-century bows and gut strings. Vibrato is never applied reflexively, but appropriately functions as but one element of an arsenal of expressive devices. Put another way, this is a modern ensemble that has internalized the lessons of period-instrument practice, and with stunning results. These are intellectually cogent performances that never lose sight of the music’s inherent kinesthetic pleasures. Very highly recommended.


FANFARE: Patrick Rucker