Mozart: Complete Wind Music [BOX SET]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Jack Brymer (Conductor), Winds of the London Symphony Orchestra (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Winds of the London Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Jack Brymer
• Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Audio CD (February 10, 1998)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0000042HX
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #230,537 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not excellent, September 19, 2000

By	alessandro dosio - See all my reviews

I bought this disc in order to have all the great wind serenades (K388, K375 and K361) in a single set and (of course) for the reputation of the London Wind Soloist (A.Civil, for example, is wonderful as usual, especially in the divertimenti). Unfortunately, these recordings don't satisfy me at all; even if the interpretation could be good, the sound is quite sharp and bad balanced (the oboes are too close and I don't like the clarinets sound), and, finally, there are some technical imperfections. I suggest the Holliger Wind Ensemble (Hermann Baumann, Eduard Brunner, Heinz Holliger, Louise Pellerin, Elmar Schmid, Klaus Thunemann, Radovan Vlatkovic, Matthew Wilkie) for a very good recording of the K388 and K375 serenades. Anyway, this set is "not bad despite the flaws" as said by another reviewer and the price could be a real advantage.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Average Musicianship, March 9, 2000

By	B. Hackman "bbhack" (Memphis, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found that, though the players' technique was sound, the blending of the parts and the intonation, especially, should have been better. They sounded like they were playing period instruments. Whether or not they were, was not given in the notes. Anyway, they lacked a sonority and tonal purity which is present in better recordings. Notably, the B flat serenade was a little raw sounding, missing the unadulterated sound which Mozart demands of his winds. Just look at the recording by Academy of St.Martin in the Fields for the soundtrack to the film, Amadeus. The adagio movement was far superior. To sum up, unless you find a more reputable ensemble's recording of these works, it is still a good investment for a classical collection.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad despite the flaws, July 23, 2000

By	"kv581" (Durham, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This is a great compilation of Mozart's wind music. There are definitely finer recordings out there, but the LWS/Brymer set is among the least expensive. With that said, I found that the ensemble, while starry, did not blend well. Perhaps the fact that many of these players were prominent soloists barred them from playing well as an group. The result of this is a more individualized and less ensemble sound. The recorded sound of this set is another of its flaws. While the close balance helps delineate the internal details of the music, at times the sound is a bit shrill. The oboe, in particular, was too closely miked for my taste. A better played set may be the Academy of St. Martin in the fields wind ensemble recordings on Philips. Be however, the Philips set costs 4 times more than the set here. And, a quick comparison of the two sets reveals that the Philips set includes two extra Mozart works that are not orchestrated for winds only (one piece adds a tympani, and the other adds strings).