Mozart: Late Symphonies: Nos. 25, 29, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40 & 41

Wolfgang A. Mozart (Artist), Leonard Bernstein (Conductor), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
• Audio CD (July 1, 2003)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B0000942LO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,674 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best bargain on the market, March 23, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Mozart: Late Symphonies: Nos. 25, 29, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40 & 41 (Audio CD)

The new Trio series has to be one of the most welcome and affordable additions to the classical music market. This set shows why. For a budget price one can get pretty much all of Mozart's best loved symphonies, in some of the most highly regarded performances made of them. Bernstein's lush, relaxed, and very romantic interpretations may not be for all tastes, especially those who have become used to period style. But for those who feel Mozart would have preferred his music performed with the warmth and beauty that is missing from the rather cold, analytical period interpretations that have become the norm, these are for you. I cannot recommend this set more highly.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Retrograde Mozart with undeniable heart, December 3, 2005

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mozart: Late Symphonies: Nos. 25, 29, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40 & 41 (Audio CD)

Leonard Bernstein thought that every composer was a romantic because he was. These big, heart-on-sleeve performances of Mozart's great late symphonies use the Vienna Phil. at almost full force--they could slip into the Brahms First without adding personnel. Bernstein lived long enough to theoretically be influenced by the period-instrument movement, but his allegiance never shifted. He belongs with Karajan and Bohm as the last conductors for whom Mozart should sound "important."

At its best, this approach yields romantic depth, perhaps not what Mozart intended but valid in its way. I would rather listen to Bernstein's Mozart symphonies than Karajan's (tending to be slick and glossy, although better than reputed) or Bohm's (brisk and faceless). A new listener should know in advance that the slow movements will be expressively drawn out and the minuets often slow and heavy-footed (these dancers are wearing boots). But Bernstein believes in this music, and he is always genuine. That ocunts for a lot with a composer who used to be played as if he were a porcelain doll and is now too often played as if his divine music were written by a Roccoco computer. Four stars.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mozart: The Great Late Symphonies, June 15, 2004

By 

Rudy Avila "Saint Seiya" (Lennox, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mozart: Late Symphonies: Nos. 25, 29, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40 & 41 (Audio CD)

What a great album we have here. Leonard Bernstein conducts the later symphonies of Mozart, which are considered to be his most mature and his greatest works for full orchestra. This album is worth the price and a treasure to own for your extensive classical music collection. If you appreciate classical music, you'll truly enjoy this album. Everyone knows that Leonar Bernstein ranks among one of the best conductors of the 20th century, right up there with the great names of Herbert Von Karajan, Bruno Walter, Sir Neville Marriner, all who have held their own when it comes to Mozart's music. Karajan I feel is not quite as good when it comes to Mozart's symphonic works. Bruno Walter and Sir Neville Marriner have long surpassed Karajan in the area of Mozart symphonies. Indeed, if you get the chance be sure to check out symphonies conducted by either Bruno Walter or Sir Neville Marriner. Marriner and the Acadamy Of Saint Martin In The Fields did mostly Mozart and provided the music of the 1984 Milos Forman film Amadeus.

The reason this album is so good is Leonard Bernstein conducting. As a conductor and a musically atuned soul, he seems to really interpret these symphonies perfectly. He gets Mozart. He has captured every note, every vibrato, roulade, flowing lines and bouncy but balanced joy in every allegro movement, such as the first movement of the Prague Symphony No. 38. For contrast, he understood the substance and darkness that seems to be written into the Allegro of the Symphony No. 25. The first movement is meant to sound furious, anguished and complex, and fast in a darker sort of mood. It's one of those rare moments in which Mozart foreshadows the Romantic Era that would begin with Beethoven. Mozart would also do this with the andante of his 21st piano concerto and the opening movement of the Piano Concerto No. 20. The last symphonies 40 and 41, "Haffner" and "Jupiter" are regarded as Mozart's most mature works for the symphony. The orchestra is more panoramic and produces a less lighter texture. The music is a fully developed Mozart in his later years. The Jupiter is his grandest. Its name conjures up the vastness of the planet Jupiter or the majesty of the Roman god Jupiter. Get this album if you're a fan of Mozart and a fan of the conductor Leonard Bernstein who aptly conducted the New York Philharmonic for many years and the Berlin Philharmonic towards the end of his life.