Customer Reviews

Serenade 10 for 13 Winds / Gran Partita

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

 

 

After having listened to a few individual pieces from Mozart's Serenade No.10, I decided to find a recording of the entire work. The first one I came upon was this recording by the Wind Soloists of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, conducted by Alexander Schneider.

When I first listened to this recording, I had only recently begun to explore the music of Mozart (and classical music in general). I had no expectations and approached the recording with an open mind.

After I finished listening to the entire album once, I had to hear it again. It is an excellent classical music recording with a great performance by the CO of Europe. The conductor Schneider does well to keep the music flowing and creating a solid, cohesive atmosphere in the orchestra. After listening to this rendition of Serenade No.10, I found a few other versions that were nicely done, but this one remains my personal favorite. I can clearly see why the comprehensive Penguin Guide to classical music (1999 edition) gave this album a rank of 3 stars (the best rating). It is undoubtedly a superb performance of beautiful music.

The music itself is absolutely wonderful and distinctly shows the genius of Mozart. In particular, I enjoy listening to the 3rd movement (the Adagio) over and over again, especially the opening sequence. After listening to this recording, I was inspired to listen to other works by Mozart and have now amassed a small but relatively decent collection of his symphonies, serenades, diverimenti, and other works.

If you have heard Serenade No.10 by another orchestra, try this one out -- you will not be disappointed. It is a solid, enjoyable performance by the CO of Europe under the experience of Schneider and the music shines through in all its beauty. Highly recommended for any classical music lover.

This is a wonderful recording, but when I tried to order it here, I was sent something else: a recording by the London Mozart Players with Jane Glover conducting. That may be a good recording, too, but it wasn't what I ordered. I tried to return it for the Schneider recording, and Amazon sent me the Glover recording a second time. I won't try for a third.