The 99 Most Essential Mozart Masterpieces

Various Artists | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: December 2, 2008
• Label: X5 Music Group
• Copyright: 2008 X5 Music Group
• Total Length: 10:34:44
• Genres: Classical/Compilations
• ASIN: B001NJUGV0
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,023 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)
  • #1 in MP3 Downloads > MP3 Albums > Classical > Compilations

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 105 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Deal to get introduced to Mozart's Music., December 31, 2008

By 

J. Renton "Mr. Particular" (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The 99 Most Essential Mozart Masterpieces (MP3 Download)

This is a fantastic deal, no question.

Just consider:

1)The performers are not of top rank - although they are perfectly adequate. Just not the best, so you aren't going to get a transcendent or particularly uniquely interesting performance.

2) You don't hear complete works - just movements. This isn't much of a problem if you are just popping this into your iPod, and putting it on random play along with your Coldplay and Metallica.

3)The excerpts are the ones you hear the most already, so if you are like me, the music isn't exactly fresh. But I am a bit of Classical Music Geek.

If you want to get exposed to Mozart's repertoire, this a great way to do it - but use it as a sampler - find out what you really like, and then track down a better recording of it and then listen to the complete work.

Life's too short to spend your time listening to mediocrity.

Despite the above caveats, I am going to give this 5 stars, because the deal is just so spanking good.

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Essential Mozart Full Works Edition - A Great Collection, October 28, 2011

By 

Mark "Technology, Music and Movies" (East Coast) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The 99 Most Essential Mozart Masterpieces (Full Works Edition) (MP3 Download)

The 99 Most Essential Mozart Masterpieces (Full Works Edition) is a perfect collection for any classical music lover. Included is a great cross section of seminal works. Having all the movements in their correct order provides a more fluid listening experience than other collections. And yet the cross section of music also provides a pleasing variety, from concerti to symphonies and everything in between.

The collection kicks off with the instantly recognizable Allegro from "Eine klein Nachtmusik." And it closes with the lovely Motet in D Major for choir and orchestra. But throughout, it provides a good balance of works.

While all of these works are well known, some of the included movements are seldom given the same level of attention as their more recognizable movements. For example, Concerto Number 21 in C Major (5-7) is best known from the second "Andante" movement ("Elvira Madigan"). But the first movement is often excluded on classical compilations. It's wonderfully performed and recorded here, with energetic piano solos interspersed throughout the orchestral sections.

A nice variety of concertos are included for a variety of instruments. I am partial to piano solos. Personal favorites include the "Facile" Sonata Number 16 (62-65), Concerto Number 20 for Piano & Orchestra (50 - 52) and the "Turkish March" Sonata (11-13). But there are plenty of works to appeal to a wide range of classical music listeners.

I am sure there will be some who could argue over the inclusion of some works and the exclusion of others. But given the size of Mozart's canon, that is to be expected. This is a very nice cross section of music, regardless.

CONCLUSION

This is quality music, performed by some great musicians, organized as complete works, and provided at a tremendous value. There's not much else that one could want from such a collection. This collection will provide you with hours of listening enjoyment. It has helped me enjoy an early work day, and I highly recommend it to you.

Enjoy.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great value for good Mozart, October 28, 2011

By 

T. Fisher - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The 99 Most Essential Mozart Masterpieces (Full Works Edition) (MP3 Download)

This collection is more typical X5 group -- very strong recordings of great classical music offered at a price that is hard to turn down. And in contrast to the earlier The 99 Most Essential Mozart Masterpieces, this collection features full works rather than snippets, which I find vastly preferable. At 99 cents as the Daily Deal on October 29, 2011, I can't help but pick it up even though I already have many of these recordings already. There are definitely enough new-to-me performances to make it interesting, most notably a performance of the Requiem Mass by the Slovak Philharmonic that sounds promising.

These recordings are part of the X5 Group's catalog and have generally been released by the company before, but not necessarily always in previous "99" collections. For example, 23 tracks by Germany's SWR Orchestra (the in-house orchestra of Südwestrundfunk, or Southwest Radio) are taken from The Mozart 100 Collection, a fine set in its own right.

Also featuring prominently are piano sonatas and one concerto from Carmen Piazzini, from her very respectable sets released previously by X5 as Mozart: The Complete Piano Sonatas and Mozart: The Piano Concertos.

This is solid music well worth picking up, and at the bargain price it is even ridiculously cheap. I hope X5 revisits its 99 Most Essential Beethoven Masterpieces as well -- its other main composer-based collection besides the Mozart that used the old strategy of "greatest hit" excerpts rather than integral works. Very worthwhile, warmly recommended.