Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Most authentic rendition of the clarinet concerto to date, October 19, 1999
As a clarinet player, I have heard over 20 different professional (and numerous amateur) renditions of the clarinet concerto of Mozart. This performance by Anthony Pay brought tears to my eyes. It was just as the composer meant it to be heard, with a deep, rich sound only the basset horn can produce. A marvellous performance all round. Made me rush out and buy this recording the moment I heard it on the radio.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of Hogwood's best Mozarts, April 28, 2005
This CD is a successful coming-together of two of Mozart's best concerti, two brilliant soloists and some very good conducting.
More often than not, the Oboe Concerto in C is heard in its flute version - transposed to the key of D. This recording presents Mozart's original layout of the oboe concerto played with period instruments or accurate replicas. The bold stability of the key of C major suits the optimism of this concerto, composed in what many call Mozart's mid-period. Fresh yet mature, the language is extremely expressive. The contrast between the three movements goes to the heart of 18th-Century theory on dramatic contrasts - with the confident Allegro, the lyric Adagio and the bouncy Allegretto.
Tempo choice is impeccable. Orchestral textures come across as vibrant and dynamic thanks to the consummate experience of the Academy of Ancient Music, one of the premier Baroque orchestras. But the playing of Michel Piguet is what really sets this performance apart. The sheer fire he puts into the solo makes this music as current and heartfelt as if he really "lived it." His sound is full and expressive, and his choice of cadenzas nothing short of exquisite. The climax to the high "e" in the first movement's cadenza - and the way Piguet reaches it - is delightful.
The Clarinet Concerto brings the listener to another mood - that of Mozart's more somber "third period." Compared to the oboe concerto, the tones are darker, the melodic phrases longer and the counterpoint between the solo and the orchestral voices more complex and pronounced.
One of the important things that sets this CD apart is this. Mozart did not write this piece for a conventional clarinet (in A or Bb) - but for an experimental hybrid instrument capable of extending the clarinet's normal range down to a low and eerie bass register. This instrument, the "Basset Clarinet" was reconstructed for this recording and played masterfully by Anthony Pay.
Thus, the many passages that were transposed an octave higher to suit the modern clarinet (losing most of their dramatic flare) have been restored to their proper pitch - much to the music's advantage. Hear the basset clarinet's "dialogues" between its high and low register, close your eyes and imagine a soprano and a baritone exchanging lines in a sublime opera...
Good choice on continuo playing too. Rather than conducting from the podium as modern conductors do, Hogwood conducts from the harpsichord and the fortepiano respectively. This adds yet more contrast to the different colors of the two concerti - the first brighter, the second rounder and more sedate.
Overall, an excellent CD, that combines great musicological research with expressiveness, fire and passion.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fine Mozart Concerto for Basset Clarinet and Oboe, May 9, 2001
The liner notes are excellent, providing the history of Mozart's concertos for these instruments and of this recording. Shows the period instruments that were used.I agree with the reviewer who enjoyed the oboe concerto more. It is lulty and captivating in its swings and melodies, and the oboe richness and trills are wonderful. The Orchestration led by Hogwood is well done as well. The full, throaty sound of the basset clarinet is rich and Pay's playing is excellent, with good tempo and intonation throughout. Piguet's oboe concerto is superb! Even and balanced solo sounds around and above the orchestration. Favorites include the Adagio non troppo of the Oboe Concerto where both oboeist and orchestra sing to each other.
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~ Franz Joseph Haydn
~ Cecil James
~ Ludwig van Beethoven
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
