Symphonies Of Grace And Power
This early Naxos CD would be a find at any price. Barry Wordsworth conducts the Capella Istropolitana in Mozart's symphonies 34, 35, and 39. The Mozart playing is near ideal as the performance brings out the lyricism and power in the scores and the beautiful writing for winds, brass and tympani. Both Wordsworth and the ensemble have continued with notable careers after this early recording. Wordsworth is currently the Conductor Laureate of the BBC Concert Orchestra in 2006 after serving as principal conductor since 1989. The Capella Istroplitana began as a studio orchestra and has recorded extensively for Naxos. It has also expanded beyond the recording studio and now performs extensively in Bratislava and elsewhere.
Mozart's three-movement symphony no. 34 in C major K. 338 is an early work, composed in Salzburg in 1780. The two outer movements of this symphony are energetic and spacious, featuring much use of rousing themes and full orchestra, with a great deal of brass fanfare. The middle movement, andante di molto, in contrast, is for muted strings alone, and consists of a quiet songlike theme. As the movement progresses, the strings divide and answer each other in several voices.
The "Haffner" Symphony, No. 35 in D major K. 385 has always been one of my favorite works of Mozart. In composing this work, Mozart simply took four movements of his earlier "Haffner" serenade and reorchestrated them slightly. The result was a masterpiece. The opening allegro vivace has been aptly described as presenting a dramatic "thematic and harmonic hardness." The movement is full of dynamism and energy. In the following andante, Mozart reduces the instrumentation to strings, bassoon, oboe, and horn, in a movement consisting of a repeated flowing melody with a short middle section in the minor. The minuet continues the forward drive of the opening movement, with a great emphasis on trumpet and tympani and a softer, contrasting trio. The finale is lively, spirited and energetic, with long frilly, joyous passages in the high strings. This movement somehow manages to be both graceful and overpowering at the same time. The performance is first-rate.
Mozart's symphony no. 39 in E flat major K. 543 is one of his three final works in the form dating from 1788. It is a work of contrasts, shifts, and triumph with a movement going from darkness to light -- from seriousness and somberness to power and joy. This is the first symphony in which Mozart used his beloved clarinet -- the instrument for which he wrote incomparable music in his clarinet quintet and clarinet concerto. The symphony opens with a slow, solemn introduction punctuated by the tympani. The body of the following allegro alternates between quiet, flowing passages, and a lengthy, powerful, and majestic theme given over to the full orchestra with much emphasis on the tympani and winds. The second movement is, in contrast, slow, spare, and haunting. The minuet has a glittery character and it features a famous duet for the clarinets in the trio. The finale is vigorous and triumphant, wrapping up a kaleidescopic symphony of many moods.
This CD is a great way to hear Mozart symphonies.
Robin Friedman