Phils 8: Mozart

Mozart: Magic Flute Overture
Colin Davis, Dresden State Orchestra
RCA

Smooth seamless lines are the perfect contrast to Davis’s crisp rhythms, nipping accents, crystalline textures, and alert flow. He hears everything in the music; so will you. The same goes for all 12 Mozart overtures on this album.

WebTip: To search, enter: mozart overtures colin davis. The price is a steal (I bought it for $1.95 plus shipping).

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 23
Vladimir Horowitz; Carlo Maria Giulini, La Scala Orchestra
Deutsche Grammophon
Jeno Jando; Matyas Antal, Concentus Hungaricus
Naxos

Horowitz’s childlike playfulness and imagination here are freed from the “sturm und drang” of his earlier, neurotic, tempestuous, virtuosic life. He and Giulini are the perfect match for one of Mozart’s happiest works. Jando and Antal also have a clear, unencumbered vision; the piano, orchestra, and engineering are superb.

Mozart: Symphony No. 39
George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra
Sony Classical

Here’s a lesson in Mozart performance. Szell’s secret is his ability to keep an absolutely steady tempo, the sine qua non to Mozart. Here he graces the work with other more flexible subtleties, turning it into music. Try doing something physical (like calisthenics) to the last movement, and you’ll discover why this is some of the most exciting Mozart ever recorded.

WebTip: At the moment, this performance is only available as part of a 10-CD box set of Szell’s Mozart in Sony’s “Original Jacket” collection. Glad I kept my single from the budget-priced “Great Performances” series. It’ll resurface sooner or later.