Customer Reviews

Essential Mozart: 32 Of His Greatest Masterpieces

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I don't think Mozart purists would want a collection that consists in large part of excerpts or single movements from various works, but I bought this for my kids and it really is an entertaining, first-rate, diverse introduction to the endless repertoire of Mozart. Perfect for someone who is only a casual fan of classical music, or kids who need memorable tunes to sustain their interest in classical music, or I suppose for someone who just wants beautiful music in the background.

This is a great sampler of the world's greatest composer (well, Bach and Beethoven are contenders)! Rather than deciding where to begin -- operas? symphonies? concertos? sonatas? -- you can begin everywhere at once. The performances are not second-rate, they are excerpts from world-class recordings. You can use this set as the basis for further listening adventures, or you can use it as an end in itself. As such, it is surely a contender for Best CD In The World. If you bought complete recordings of every composition excerpted on this disc, you might have to file for bankruptcy, so don't let purism stand in the way of enjoying Mozart.

I used this set as my introduction (it was previously packaged as THE GREATEST MOZART SHOW ON EARTH) when I first ventured into classical music a couple of years ago, and so far I've expanded into operas, piano concertos, violin concertos, and string quintets. The genius revealed over the range of forms led to love at first listening!

This is an excellent collection and the perfect starting point for anyone interested in getting into classical music or, more specifically, Mozart. It was because of my love for this set that I ended up buying the 180 cd "Complete Mozart Edition" from Phillips. Now, spending $1000+ on everything Mozart ever wrote is a bit extreme and those who aren't kooks and completests like myself most likely won't be inclined to do so. But my love for Mozart and classical really began with this set. I found myself playing this album several times a day because I couldn't believed I had lived 16+ years without ever hearing such wonderful, awe-inspiring music.

Not to mention this set is filled with big-named conductors and orchestras who turn in wonderful performances of many of Mozart's best loved pieces. I swear everytime I hear the Adagio to Mozart's 23rd Piano Concerto I still get chills. This collection also contains a wide range of styles; from opera to symphonies and serenades, from concertos to sonatas. Which is really great at helping newbies (like myself when I first got this) decide which styles they like and will help them make future purchases.

This album really opened up a whole new world for me, and I'm beyond grateful for that. For anyone out there's who's ever considered checking out classical or Mozart, if you're looking at this album, don't hesitate to buy it. At the very worst you'll end up with an album that you won't like and $14 less in your wallet. At the most it will open up a whole new world of musical wonder that you've never known before.

For those who enjoy - or would like to get to know - the music of Mozart, ESSENTIAL MOZART is a thoughtful and satisfying collection, so good, in fact, that NPR radio station KUSC is offering the two-disc set as a premium in its current fund drive.

Clearly, an additional bonus is that, for those of us who care about such things, the selections are not rendered by orchestras seeking to escape a well-deserved anonimity, as is sometimes the case with CD's like this. Instead, the recordings feature such outstanding groups as the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the English Chamber Orchestra, and the Academy of Ancient Music

Yet, the real beauty of this collection is that it is neither expressly for beginners nor exclusively for the Mozart lover. It is that rarest of accomplishments: a gift that embraces the best of both.

I was eagerly looking forward to this Decca compilation, but although the music is superb, the inconsistent volume was very annoying. I was constantly adjusting the volume control. This lets the whole thing down in my opinion, and is inexcusable from a world class company such as Decca. I doubt I'll bother playing it again. I bought a second one as a gift, but won't be inflicting it on anyone - have just sold it on Ebay.

While reading Oliver Sack's book, Musicophilia, about the neuroscience of music illustrated through cases of neurological disability that knocked out areas of the brain involved in music perception and creation, I learned that children listening to Mozart developed specific regions of the brain and improve their mathematics scores. I decided that my 5 month old grandson's developing brain would benefit from listening to Mozart. I chose this collection of Mozart's works and was not disappointed with the quality of the music, though my grandson is now six months old and not yet doing calculus.

This CD I heard first on KUSC, L.A.'s publicly supported classical station during one of their fund drives. I had already made my yearly donation and couldn't afford the additional donation requirement to receive Essential Mozart as a gift, so I meekly bought a used copy from Amazon. I had to have it! It is a beautiful representation of Mozart's work.

By the way, if you are looking for a good classical station where you can get informative tidbits about the composers, KUSC is it, and it is available to the world through their computers. Just remember to send a donation every year or so if you like the station.

I am not much into classical music.. Read about Mozart and wanted to make sure I listen to one of the all time classics.

Though I may not be qualified enough to review a classic, On a whole it was a pleasant experience for me and a good add on to my car, especially when alone.. The quality of the CD content was good too..!!

4/5

this is a great collection of his work... the only problem i have found so far is that my copy has irritating "clicks" over the recording.

I just cant say enough about this collection. It used to be that you had to spend a fortune to get Mozart's best hits; a few on each album. Now, you can buy them all at once and dirt cheap! very nice