uni/decca 467248--- Cecilia Bartoli´s new grammy-winning CD, "Dreams and Fables" reveals some little-known and beautiful arias by Mozart´s unfairly-neglected friend Christoph Willibald Gluck.
Mozart Variations
John Marks 24--- Harpist Emily Mitchell and friends play Mozart pieces arranged for harp and works by Spohr and Glinka based on Mozartean themes. A real treat for Mozart and harp connoisseurs alike!
Kiri Te Kanawa
emi 57231--- A compilation CD featuring some of Kiri´s finest moments from the beginning of her career up until the present. Mozart is represented, and so are Verdi, Puccini, and Gershwin.
Lang Lang
Telarc 80524---This young Chinese pianist, a student of Gary Graffman at the Curtis Institute, was profiled on NPR´s Morning Edition on our sister station, KJZZ. He lives up to the buzz that´s been going around about him with his debut CD, playing inspired interpretations of Haydn´s Sonata in E, Rachmaninoff´s B flat Sonata, and Brahms. He played in concert recently at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts!
Alfred Brendel--Mozart Concertos #20, 24
Philips-- So why Did Alfred Brendel revisit these Mozart Concertos--the only two written in minor keys-- which he had already recorded for Philips in the 1970s? Maybe he felt he still had more to say; and when Brendel speaks through the keyboard, it´s always worth listening to! A fine recording from one of the great pianists of our time.
Mozart-Debussy-Takemitsu--Sabine Meyer
EMI classics 56832-- Sabine Meyer is one of the top clarinetists in the world today, and she turns in a fresh, invigorating reading of Mozart´s Clarinet Concerto here with the Berlin Philharmonic led by Claudio Abbado. She also stretches out a little with Debussy´s Premiere Rhapsodie and the Fantasma/Cantos by Takemitsu.
Mozart Heroines--Natalie Dessay
Virgin 45447-- Considered by many to be the best Coloratura soprano around today, Natalie Dessay sings Arias from The Magic Flute, Lucio Silla, and Idomeneo, but also covers some relatively-uncharted territory in lesser-known Mozart operas Ascanio in Alba and Zaide, with the help of The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
Mozart--Wind Concertos
Decca-- The Academy Of Ancient Music led by Christopher Hogwood with soloists Anthony Pay, Michel Piguet, Anthony Halstead, others. These are previously-and-separately-released recordings now all together in this 3-disc set of the Mozart Wind Concertos. A fine job from the ultimate period-instrument band and conductor.
Music from the Movies
Deutsche Grammophon 469256-- Hollywood loves to use the classics in Films, and Mozart´s tunes are in many of them, including "The Marriage of Figaro" (Last Action Hero), Horn Concerto #2 (JFK) and the Clarinet Concerto (Out of Africa). These and many other classical hits from your favorite films are on this 2-CD set.
Mozart: Requiem
Deutsche Grammophon 289-463-181-2-- Berlin Philharmonic, conductor Claudio Abbado, The Swedish Radio Symphony Choir, with Karita Mattila, Rachel Harnisch, Sara Mingardo, Michael Schade, and Bryn Terfel. A sensitive and powerful interpretation of this Mozart Masterpiece by Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic!
Seraphim-- Carlo Maria Giulini´s 1978 performance of the Requiem with the Berlin Philharmonic is a classic-- you´ll see why one critic praised it as "devotional and transparent". Helen Donath and Robert Lloyd turn in fine performances as well.
Mozart: Violin Concertos
Uni/Philips 464722-- Grumiaux, London Symphony Orchestra, Colin Davis. A Philips re-release of the Mozart Concertos with the legendary violinist Arthur Grumiaux demonstrates the amazing technique and musical voice of one of the most admired soloists of his time, and ours, too!
Arte Nova 72104 -- Violinist Pamela Frank, The Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra led by David Zinman. Frank, who has been a guest soloist with the Phoenix Symphony, shines in these concertos, written by a 19-year-old Amadeus!
Mozart: Complete Symphonies
Philips 454085 -- Academy of St. Martin in the Fields led by Neville Marriner, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra led by Joseph Krips. Here´s a thoughtful gift for the Mozart fanatic, ALL the Mozart Symphonies in one package! Mariner and the ASMF play the early Symphonies, Krips and the Concertgebouw the later ones.
