MOZART: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat, K. 22 “The Hague:” Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K. 201; Serenade in D, K. 239 “serenata notturna;” Serenade in G Major, K. 525 “Eine kliene Nachtmusik” – Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra/Marco Boni – PentaTone

by | Sep 20, 2005 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews | 0 comments

MOZART: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat, K. 22 “The Hague:” Symphony No. 29
in A Major, K. 201; Serenade in D, K. 239 “serenata notturna;” Serenade
in G Major, K. 525 “Eine kliene Nachtmusik” – Concertgebouw Chamber
Orchestra/Marco Boni – PentaTone Multichannel SACD PTC 5186 002, 
70:44****:

We have a juicy blend of scholarship and lush musicianship in this
audiophile’s album, which gives us Mozart at different stages of his
amazing career. The Symphony in B-flat dates from 1766, when Mozart was
nine years old. The scoring for strings, oboes, and two horns features
a remarkable excursion into G Minor for the Andante. While shaped more
like an extended overture (a la Lucio Silla), the deftness and facility
of the part-writing, especially as it emerges in surround sound, speaks
volumes for what the youth imbibed of classical procedures.

The 1776 Serenata notturna has been a favorite of mine since I owned
the Adolf Busch version of 70 years ago. A three-movement work of some
pageantry, it features a prominent tympani part that thunders forth
even as the brisk pizzicati rifle or plunk antiphonally. The A Major
Symphony and the G Major Serenade seem to me rather pedestrian
programming for an otherwise lively assembly of Mozart works. Yes, they
move briskly enough, the symphony enjoying a grand line and wonderful
intonation; but for the surround sound format, wouldn’t the K. 286
Notturno for 4 Orchestras have been more apt?  Eine kleine
Nachtmusik chugs and purrs with the verve and high spirits we expect –
cheery, buoyant, immaculately balanced.  While the repertory may
repeat items in your collection, the SACD format may sell this disc to
even the well-heeled Mozartian.

–Gary Lemco

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