Customer Reviews

Mozart: Salzburg Symphonies; Divertimenti

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When I first heard this album in a store, I loved it at once and bought it. The air the music creats is so warm, witty, happy, and hopeful. I enjoyed it so much, when I have depressed mood, this music is a healing lotion to me. And I appreciate the musician's gentle pace, it makes me a feeling that the musicians in this album really love the music, they played it through the love of art, not just doing a work. I wonder why it's so hard to find other version. Recently I found a different version of these Divertimenti in a full Mozart's works collections, but I don't like that, it's too hurried, it gives me a feeling that the musicians were bored with the music and wished to finished it as soon as possible. That's why I highly recommend this Naxos version.

Without any way wishing to minimise Mozart's achievement, I must admit that these 'divertimenti', written when Mozart was barely 17 years old, do not, for my mind, belong to that large group of his compositions which really demonstrate his genius. Yes, there are some pleasing melodies, some gentle string adagios, some unexpected tempo changes, but all in all this music is 'easy listening', a pleasing, but in no wise challenging kind of 18th century pop music. The three 'Salzburg symphonies' are in three movements each: the first and third are in the fast-slow-fast mould, the second has a long slow movement to begin with, followed by two short faster ones. They are written for strings only, leading Keith Anderson in the liner notes to the conclusion that Mozart may have composed them as symphonies to which wind parts could have been added ad libitum. The 20 minute Divertimento K. 205 has the usual five movements, and the strings, although dominant, are accompanied by two horns.
The Capella Istropolitana, a chamber orchestra, gives a very decent rendering under the direction of Richard Edlinger, although without really being able to make this music sound 'brilliant'. The recorded sound is acceptable; the acoustics of the Slovak Philharmonic Concert Hall are, as ever, a little echo-ey, but in toto this is, at budget price, a welcome disc.