Customer Reviews

Mozart: Complete Symphonies

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Where intended, Marriner has his ASMITF French Horn section play much in the higher octave, adding authenticity and brilliance in Mozart's early symphonies on this Philips CD set. Krips conducts the RCO with care and gets seemingly correct tempos and phrasing in the later symphonies. The Symphony No. 34 in C is a gem of a performance making other recordings of it seem all too rushed. The "Prague" (No. 38) is incomperable, much like Bruno Walter's but with a much better orchestra. Sound is top quality throughout. I especially recommend this Mozart Symphony set to those Mozart fans who have become "tired" of many of those "authentic instrumentation" performances of late.

Every phrase ever so beautifully formed and sounded with the help of the group that has that wonderful heavenly tone that could have been made to play Mozart - the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (really only one of the few that deserve such a title), Josef Krips, a man who had devoted his career to the study of Mozart, deliver performances that closest match the achievement of the works themselves. Perhaps not known widely Josef Krips had a uncommon gift of forming and bringing out in his sensitive and loving way (savoring of Bruno Walter) the pictorial elements in the work, and having his roots in the stage, he was especially skilled in overlapping elements in Mozart's operatic work; of drama and humane feeling, and with those of his orchestral output; of philosophical resignation and a powerful otherworldly influence along perfect grace. You will be able to tell, he was a true Mozartean - one of the very few on record. And of his examination of the composer he wrote (included in the booklet of the as excellent Don Giovanni record on Decca): "Mozart is, of all composers, the most difficult to conduct, and I can tell you why: two bars and you are suddenly transported to heaven. It's very hard to keep your bearings when you are there."

If you're looking at this set and wondering if you should buy it, Josef Krips and the Concertgebouw Orchestra are the reason to purchase this set. Krips conducts Symphonies 21-41, or 6 discs worth: 50% of this set of Mozart Symphonies. The Concertgebouw Orchestra plays beautifully, as you would expect, and have the perfect sense of Mozart's style, served so well and warmly by Krips' conducting. Krips' Mozart deserves to stand with the other "greats" in the Mozart later symphonies:
Bohm/Berlin (DG); Klemperer/Philharmonia (EMI); Szell/Cleveland (Sony); Bruno Walter/Columbia (CBS) or New York Philharmonic (Sony "Bruno Walter Edition"); and Beecham/Royal Philharmonic (EMI: Symphony 41; Sony UK: Symphonies 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41) and London Philharmonic (Dutton). Tempos are never rushed, but Krips is sometimes faster than Bohm or Klemperer in some Allegro movements, but never to the detriment of Mozart's music. One prime example I recall is III of Symphony 26 in E flat Major: Krips is much faster than Bohm in this short movement, but it doesn't destroy the music.

Neville Marriner leads Symphonies 1-21, plus a number of other symphonies attributed to or by Mozart, but outside the regular numbering system or Kochel numbers, etc. Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields have excellent credentials as Mozart experts, and with good reason: they have made some great Mozart recordings on EMI and Philips. Here, however, Marriner and co. sound boring and routine in some of the earlier symphonies, and the harpsichord clatters away mercilessly; perhaps better phrasing and forward motion would have corrected this impression. But Marriner IS of value here for the Symphonies like 47, 52, etc. which are rarely, if ever recorded elsewhere. If you want to hear Marriner/ASMF in the later Mozart Symphonies, go for their EMI and Seraphim recordings, regularly available through Amazon.com.

This is a valuable set, and I'm glad to have it mostly for the Krips recordings.

This IS the definitive performance of Mozart's symphonies!! The music is clear, clean and very crisp, ... absolutely magnificent!! The orchestral timing are discernibly perfect and utterly precise (factors which determine the distinctly robust sound of the performing instrument).

This undoubtedly has to be one of Sir Neville's best conducting effort, and the orchestra's best performance. They played as though they were playing for GOD.

Sublime perfection!!

Like Sir Neville, Josef Krips has demonstrated what it means being a consummate maestro. They set the standard for others to aspire.

Mozart!! What can one say about genius! His music says it all. It will turn any bad day into a good one!

As usual, the ASMF and Marriner shine through with just the right tempo and expression. Marriner will always be my conductor of choice for Mozart's symphonies, although Jeffrey Tate with the English Chamber Orchestra does rather well too. The problem I had with this set was with the latter half (what are considered Mozart's "late" symphonies). They are disappointing under Krips' hand because Krips' interpretation of Mozart's symphonies is draggy and lack a je ne sais quois that the other Mozartean conductors of our day possess. It would have been better if Krips had done the early symphonies and Marriner, the late, because Mozart was at his peak as a composer with his late symphonies.

As a complete symphony cycle, this recording has a lot of good things going for it. Both Mr. Marriner and Herr Krips are very highly regarded Mozart interpretors. Both the Academy of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields and the Royal Concertgebouw are exceptional orchestras. And yet, I have not enjoyed these recordings very much. I think that both conductors' approach to Mozart's symphonies are far too tame. Mariner is tasked with the earlier symphonies, and one doesn't feel them all that lacking, but with the later symphonies problems become more apparent. The orchestras are small and transparent, but not rich or powerful. The tempi are generally slow to moderate, even where one keenly feels the need for a little more intensity. But that describes the playing in general: not enough fire.
A good Mozartian who knows his history will remember that Mozart used a big orchestra whenever he could (the premiere of the 33rd symphony used an orchestra of at least 90 players, and Mozart didn't scoff, though you will find many modern conductors that would). As far as a conductor contemporary to Krips that I feel handles the symphonies better, I would recommend Bruno Walter. Even Karl Boehm with the Berliner Philharmoniker gets nearer the mark. But my personal favourite, and there many Mozartians that will question this, is Herbert von Karajan. Of course he didn't record all of them (the earliest is No. 29), but the several recordings that he made with the BPO in the sixties and seventies are without peer. But then again, if you like your Mozart on the light side, then you can't go far wrong with this set. Although, I would still recommend the complete set that Boehm make for Deutsche Grammophon.

This is a wonderful collection of Mozart symphonies. A true bargain for the price.

If a work is to be called the "complete" anything, does it not behoove the artist to tell the truth? Anyone familiar with sonata allegro form knows a symphonic exposition is presented twice before entering development in the first movement. It's basic introduction to music. So how come my very favorite, Number 39, is abbreviated to only one presentation of the exposition? For nearly $... I think I deserve more no matter how good the cd sounds. If it sounds incomplete, then it is incomplete. I bought Beethoven's complete by Solti and the Chicago Symphony and despite the fact that those expositions are by tradition offered only once, Solti's integrity called him to present all 9 as written. I'm no scholar nor am I a stickler. I just know what things should sound like and anything less is unsatifactory.