Mozart: The Concert Arias [BOX SET]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Argeo Quadri (Conductor), Gyorgy Fischer (Conductor), John Pritchard (Conductor), Reinhard Peters (Conductor), Stuart Knussen (Performer), Geoffrey Parsons (Performer), Rainer Kuchl (Performer), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Performer), Edita Gruberová (Performer), Elfriede Hobarth (Performer), Fernando Corena (Performer), Gösta Winbergh (Performer), Kiri Te Kanawa (Performer), Krisztina Laki (Performer), Teresa Berganza (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Stuart Knussen, Geoffrey Parsons, Rainer Kuchl, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Edita Gruberová, et al.
• Conductor: Argeo Quadri, Gyorgy Fischer, John Pritchard, Reinhard Peters
• Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Audio CD (November 11, 1997)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 5
• 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: B0000042GL
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #54,217 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST-BUY treasure trove!, September 3, 1999

By A Customer

Can't get enough of sublime Mozartian aria music? This complete compilation of concert arias should be part of every Mozart lover's collection, especially as a supplement to better known opera arias. There are gems among the concert collection that challenge even the loveliest of Mozart's better known operatic work. I can't say this is the only version of the concert arias ever to buy... the more versions I hear, the more I love the different interpretations. But if you're only going to sample one set, this could be the winner. The singers represented are masters of the Mozart craft; one virtuoso piece after another - for five discs, each over an hour long! The arrangement of voices, mostly soprano (since they sing the originally castrati arias as well), is also wonderful; no one sound is heard for too long before a very different one takes its place to give a contrasting flavor. And they're all in top form: Kiri Te Kanawa with her trademark creamy mildness is followed by Edita Gruberova's agile, silver-haunted coloratura. Teresa Berganza, whom I usually link with mezzo roles, is a tour de force of golden warmth; her Ch'io mi scordi de te? on disc 3 (piano accompaniment originally played by Mozart himself) is magnificent and deserves special note. Krisztina Laki and Elfriede Hobarth were lesser known to me; both are quite fine, although Laki's crystal sweetness is stronger and more pitch-perfect than Hobarth's, particularly in the highest notes of some mind-boggling musical phrases. The final 1.5 discs are handed to the men; Gosta Winbergh sings the tenor arias with heroic beauty and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Fernando Corena as the bass-baritones are simply the richly toned legends one would expect. A very nice booklet with notes, lyrics and translations to each aria is included. It's a marvelous set; one of my favorite discoveries.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great CD but beware!, February 23, 2002

By	William Hobbs - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This has to be the ultimate compendium of these undeservedly neglected arias. Many of the arias themselves rival the most glorious moments in the operas, and some of them, particularly the high soprano arias, are highly-charged vocal stuntfests that have to be heard to be believed.

This set has much to recommend it but does have one major technical flaw. Every copy that I have heard (and that is several) has a skip near the end of Track 10 of Disc 1. It seems to be part of the master and many listeners will be able to live with it, but I do wish that producers would take the time to fix a defect like this for such a significant musical document. Purists beware!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must if you love Mozart Opera, April 5, 2002

By	operamaryc "operamarty" (DIAMOND BAR, CA United States) - See all my reviews

The LA Reviewer said it all and I totally agree. The sound is wonderful and singing top notch. A great discovery and a must for any opera collector. Mozart gets better the more you listen to his opera compositions - the set contains many of the outstanding arias not always done in concert but which are lovely and some rediscoveries. Also, our recent loss of Winbergh makes this a buy as we don't have alot of recordings of his beautiful tenor voice. This set features him on 4 arias and his Mozart singing is truly outstanding. This set of 5 CD's a great value and highly recommended.