Mozart: Overtures; Divertimento, K. 131; Symphony No. 28

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Antonia Brico (Conductor), Bruno Walter (Conductor), George Szell (Conductor), Philippe Entremont (Conductor), Thomas Schippers (Conductor), Cleveland Orchestra (Orchestra), Cleveland Orchestra [Members of] (Orchestra), Columbia Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra (Orchestra), Wiener Kammerorchester (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra [Members of], Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Wiener Kammerorchester
• Conductor: Antonia Brico, Bruno Walter, George Szell, Philippe Entremont, Thomas Schippers
• Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Audio CD (March 4, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029UW
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #367,374 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Szell and Schippers are top-notch!, February 29, 2000

By 

R. Kunath (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mozart: Overtures; Divertimento, K. 131; Symphony No. 28 (Audio CD)

The CD as a whole is a bit of a mixed bag. Nothing is bad, but the performances by Brico, Entremont, and even Bruno Walter don't strike me as revelatory. But Thomas Schippers' "Marriage of Figaro" overture is wonderful: taut, powerful, and expressive. And the Szell performances are just miraculous: I'm a great admirer of Szell, but not all of his Mozart strikes me as essential. But these two off-the-beaten-path works by Mozart called forth something special in Szell and his remarkable orchestra. Szell's recording of the overture to "The Impresario" is my nominee for the single greatest performance of a Mozart overture, period. If I were a Penguin Guide reviewer, I'd be giving it a double rosette (with the caution that this is a personal mark of esteem, and, alas, it may not seem as miraculous to you--but then again, maybe it will). For me, as I told a friend, Szell's "Impresario" is "the perfect fusion of precision and poetry." I first discovered this performance as a 14-year-old on the old Columbia "Spectacular Cleveland Orchestra" LP set, and it riveted me then. The Divertimento is also an extraordinary performance: this performance smiles more than any Szell Mozart recording that I know, and when you combine Szell's affection, finesse, and sheer style with the Cleveland Orchestra at its unapproachable height, you've got something well worth double the asking price, even if the other recordings don't match Szell and Schippers.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why look anywhere else?, January 24, 2000

By 

David - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mozart: Overtures; Divertimento, K. 131; Symphony No. 28 (Audio CD)

I don't understand why anyone looking for a recording of the overtures to Mozart's major operas would look anywhere else! These performances are fresh and lively, and worthy of any collection.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars K. 131 is worth twice the price of the CD, August 5, 2004

By 

John "John" (Iowa, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mozart: Overtures; Divertimento, K. 131; Symphony No. 28 (Audio CD)

While I agree that all performances here are at least acceptable, I agree with some other reviewers that the Szell and Schippers performances are superlative. There are other wonderful performances of many of these works. For me it is the Divertimento, K. 131 that is the real "find" here. First of all, this is a very rarely-performed work, and is even more rarely recorded. I wore out at least two copies of the vinyl version of this performance, over probably 30 years of listening. This is both Mozart and Szell at their best--and the Cleveland soloists, including Myron Bloom at his prime, are simply spectacular. EVERY nuance is explored with cogent coherence and exquisite musicianship. This is a MUST HAVE for everyone who loves Mozart! I have rated it only a "4" because some of the performances just miss being "the best." Otherwise, if only for the K. 131, it would be a 5+.