Narrow my search:
From
HI-RES$16.59
CD$14.39
W. A. Mozart: Requiem in D Minor, K. 626
Jordi Savall
Classical - Released May 5, 2023 | Alia Vox
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
Qobuz Album of the Week
Hearing rumours of great artists remastering their works several years after their release is sure to put you on your toes. Once the comparison between the different recordings is over, one is tempted to see them as snapshots of an aesthetic ethos, testaments to an artistic evolution. In this case, Jordi Savall offers us a fine gift: 30 years after his first version of the Requiem, here he is, conducting Mozart's masterpiece with an entirely new Concert des Nations. Savall’s gesture becomes all the more touching as he explains that it was motivated by a chance personal anecdote from when he was 14—his dazzling and unexpected confrontation with Mozart's quasi-testamentary work. In this new production, the Catalan master takes his obsession with detail and historically informed interpretation even further: from the exact Latin pronunciation employed in Vienna at the time, to the pitch 430, to the specific embouchures of the trombones. The ensemble also drew on the remarkable work of the musicologists Jean and Brigitte Massin. This Requiem is captivating in its fluidity. The soloists sparkle—the stunning soprano Rachel Redmond and the baritone Manuel Walser in particular. The choirs of the Capella Nacional de Catalunya form a solid rock with the Concert des Nations, each group embracing the asperities of the other in a play of contrasts and chiaroscuro touching on the mystery of Mozart's ambiguous relationship with the Christian faith. The recording culminates in the "Lacrymosa", which quietly devastates with its balance and the sensuality of its melodic lines. This new version is among the best in that it handles the mystery of Mozart's genius without ever distorting it. © Pierre Lamy/Qobuz
From
HI-RES$51.09
CD$45.09
Mozart: Sonatas for Piano & Violin
Renaud Capuçon
Classical - Released June 23, 2023 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)
Hi-Res
There are various complete recordings of Mozart's sonatas for piano and violin, most of them leaving off the juvenilia or relegating them to a separate volume (here they are omitted). This one by violinist Renaud Capuçon and keyboardist Kit Armstrong, playing modern instruments, holds the listener's interest unusually strongly. There are several reasons for this. One is the easy rapport between the two players, responding quickly to slight expressive moves or alterations in the tempo by one player or the other. They capture the rapidly developing role of the violin over the course of the set as it is transformed from an accompanimental instrument to a full partner in the dialogue. A second plus is the inclusion of two variation sets, the 12 Variations on "La bergère Celimène," K. 359, and the Six Variations on "Hélas, j'ai perdu mon amant," K. 360. These are not often heard, and quite opposite to what one might expect from their lightweight themes, they are substantial works. The role of the violin here, too, is key; although the piano is still the dominant partner, the violin was ready and available as a sound that would vary the texture, and Mozart exploited it to the hilt. Other attractions include the variety of Capuçon's playing within a fairly circumscribed context and an excellent feel for the dry language of the later sonatas, with their counterpoint and daringly irregular phrase shapes. A major entry in the Mozart discography, which landed on classical best-seller charts in the summer of 2023.
© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$16.59
CD$14.39
Mozart: String Quintets K. 515 & 516
Quatuor Ébène
Quintets - Released March 10, 2023 | Warner Classics
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
Diapason d'or
The 2004 edition of the ARD International Competition in Munich saw the paths of violist Antoine Tamestit and members of the Ebène Quartet cross. A meeting of champions on a day to remember, with these artists taking first place in their respective categories. Their collaborations have multiplied over the years, finally converging on a first joint recording entitled Round Midnight, which ended with a sumptuous rendition of Schoeberg’s Transfigured Night.But in this case the new ensemble is committed to the genius of Mozart, through his Quintet No. 3 K.515 and No. 4 K.516. In the first, the group explores the highly contrasting moods in Mozart's writing, alternating between the abundant energy of the first and fourth movements, and the melancholic lethargy of the second and third. A roller coaster of emotions, guided by clever playing and a lovely, enveloping tonality. On the other hand, Quartet K.516 has darker colours, the key of G minor in Mozart's work often being associated with distress and sorrow. It took on a particular meaning in 1787, at a time when the composer was worried about his father's health. The Ebène quartet and Tamestit draw a striking chiaroscuro from the score, magnified by intelligent choices with regards to the tempi, leaving room for perfect spaces that allow the piece to breathe. © Pierre Lamy/Qobuz
From
HI-RES$21.09
CD$18.09
Mozart: The Violin Concertos
Renaud Capuçon
Classical - Released September 29, 2023 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)
Hi-Res
Booklet
Violinist Renaud Capuçon has recorded some of Mozart's violin concertos in the past, but this 2023 complete set, on which he leads the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra as well as playing the solo violin parts, is different in flavor, with a precise yet easy sense of collaboration between violin and orchestra. At times, as in the slow movement of the Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, Op. 219, he gets the alchemy that makes these rather frothy works by the young Mozart come alive with irresistible lyricism. In general, he takes some inspiration from the historical performance movement, cultivating a clean sound in the orchestra and somewhat minimizing the vibrato. The orchestra is thus nicely set off from Capuçon's breezy, just slightly sentimental style. Deutsche Grammophon contributes idiomatic sound from the Théâtre de Beaulieu in Lausanne. At first, this set may seem to break little new ground, but that is not what it is about. Repeated hearings will reveal a good deal of quiet elegance.© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$17.49
CD$13.99
Mozart: Piano Concertos Vol. 8
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Concertos - Released October 6, 2023 | Chandos
Hi-Res
Booklet
With this 2023 release, the cycle of Mozart's mature piano concertos by pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, with the Manchester Camerata under conductor Gabor Takács-Nagy, reaches its end. The series, with a modern piano but an economical approach that shows some influence from the historical performance movement, has found both critical and popular success, and this finale will not disappoint. Bavouzet is a technically clean pianist who can impress with the elegance of any given phrase, but what strikes the listener considering his Mozart work as a whole is the way he approaches each piece as an individual. His Mozart is entirely different from his Haydn, as revealed in a long series of fine piano sonata recordings, and he is very sensitive to the development of Mozart's style, capturing subtle interaction between piano and winds in the big middle-period concertos and backing off to a simpler melodicism in these late ones. In the Piano Concerto No. 26 in D major, K. 537 ("Coronation"), he prepares his own version of the incompletely notated left-hand part, and he adds some light ornamentation to the rather bare, slow movement. Bavouzet's Mozart albums have included overtures from the period of the concertos involved, and here, one gets no fewer than three from the last three Mozart operas. Takács-Nagy integrates these with the concertos beautifully, and the program as a whole has a satisfying effect that brings to mind Mozart's remark about the connoisseurs and the amateurs; the album can be appreciated at multiple levels. Chandos' engineering work at the Stoller Hall in Manchester is once again exemplary. This release made classical best-seller lists in the autumn of 2023.© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$29.79
CD$25.59
Mozart : Die Zauberflöte
Karl Böhm
Classical - Released May 31, 2011 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
Diapason d'or
From
HI-RES$29.79
CD$25.59
Mozart: Symphonies Nos.35 "Haffner", 36 "Linzer", 38 "Prager", 39, 40, 41 "Jupiter"
Karl Böhm
Symphonies - Released January 1, 1975 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)
Hi-Res
Booklet
Karl Böhm's set of the last Mozart symphonies, recorded for Deutsche Grammophon between 1959 and 1966, rank among the greatest performances of these extraordinary works. The Berlin Philharmonic brings genuine warmth and vitality to the symphonies, yet maintains a poise throughout, which, in terms of balance and measured phrasing, is decidedly Classical. Böhm's rendition of the Symphony No. 35 "Haffner" is exciting in the outer movements, but steadily paced in the Andante and the stately Menuetto. The Symphony No. 36 "Linzer" is admirable for its clarity of form and sturdiness, though the performance is briskly paced to keep the music from seeming rigidly architectural. The Symphony No. 38 "Prager" glows with amorous feeling and humor, and Mozart's orchestral palette is at its most colorful in the Andante. After an intensely dramatic introduction, the Symphony No. 39 proceeds in a relaxed, gemütlich manner, and the slower tempi allow the winds to be fully resonant. In the Symphony No. 40, tenderness and pathos are emphasized over anxiety and drama, and Böhm's dynamics are carefully gauged to make this distinction clear. The Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter" is grand and energetic, and the Berlin Philharmonic's performance of the miraculous finale is this set's crowning achievement.© TiVo
From
HI-RES$15.56
CD$12.45
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-Flat Major, K. 271 "Jeunehomme" & Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor, K. 491
Lars Vogt
Concertos - Released September 1, 2023 | Ondine
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
4F de Télérama
This is the final concerto recording by the late Lars Vogt, made at his insistence despite considerable difficulties as he was undergoing cancer treatment; he conducts the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris as well as playing the solo part. It is no surprise that the album vaulted onto classical best-seller lists soon after its release in the summer of 2023, for it has a truly haunting quality. Vogt includes the most serious of the Mozart concertos, the Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491, and this performance has all the gravity one might expect. Perhaps even more extraordinary, though, is the reading of the Piano Concerto No. 9 in E flat major, K. 271, the first of Mozart's mature concertos and one of the most expansive in structure. Sample the opening movement, where every detail in the orchestral exposition is carefully shaped and held in reserve for later exploration by the piano. It is an extraordinarily dense performance but one that never loses a sense of grace, and it is one for the ages. It is hard not to feel a sense of sadness while hearing this music, but that sadness is fully counterbalanced by joy.© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$18.09
CD$15.69
and 74 musicians
Thylacine
Dance - Released February 23, 2023 | XXIM Records
Hi-Res
Booklet
From
HI-RES$22.99
CD$17.99
Mozart: Piano Concertos K. 238 & 503
Kristian Bezuidenhout
Concertos - Released November 3, 2023 | harmonia mundi
Hi-Res
Booklet
Fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout has provided clean, insightful performances of Mozart piano concertos in his ongoing series with the Freiburg Barockorchester, which he conducts from the keyboard. This 2023 release is no exception, and it hit classical best-seller charts in the autumn of that year. Bezuidenhout offers two works from about ten years apart, a sobering thought considering the vast dimensions of the Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503. He opens with the Piano Concerto No. 6 in B flat major, K. 238, actually just Mozart's second essay in the form (those numbered one through four were arrangements and were still accomplished enough to pass for Mozart's own until the 20th century). It is a fizzy work, with some easy but virtuosic-sounding moves in the outer movements, that became popular when played by one of Mozart's students, and it was likely written originally for a harpsichord. As such, it is a bit overpowered by Bezuidenhout's copy of an 1805 Walter fortepiano. That doesn't apply, however, to the Piano Concerto No. 25, from 1787; the big Walter instrument was likely close to the sound ideal Mozart had in his head for the work. This is structurally Mozart's most ambitious concerto, filled less with his characteristic melodic genius than with big building blocks of rhythmically and texturally inflected pure harmony. It has never been one of Mozart's most popular concertos, requiring a pianist capable of a wide variety of keyboard attacks to keep its momentum up. This it receives with Bezuidenhout, whose performance would be persuasive even on modern instruments but is especially absorbing here. He grasps the work's complex architecture as well as any other pianist around, and the large palette of the Walter instrument serves him well. With fine sound from the Ensemblehaus Freiburg, this is a strong entry in Bezuidenhout's Mozart traversal.© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$17.49
CD$13.99
Mozart Piano Concertos 11, 12, & 13
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Symphonies - Released March 8, 2024 | Chandos
Hi-Res
Booklet
The "Mozart, Made in Manchester" series from pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and the Manchester Camerata under conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy has been a joy from the start. It is not that Bavouzet does anything so radical. He plays a modern piano, although there is an overall sparse approach that probably traces itself to the historical performance movement. These are just impressively sensitive performances that bring out the individuality of each work. Here, Bavouzet takes on three Mozart concertos from the early years of his life in Vienna as he broke free from the stultifying circumstances he had experienced in Salzburg. These three piano concertos are brimming over with formal experimentation that Bavouzet brings out in full; sample the tempo-shifting Rondeau finale of the Piano Concerto No. 13 in C major, K. 415. The Manchester Camerata, with some youthful musicians taken on from the city's Chetham's School, offers lively playing that conductor Takács-Nagy calibrates beautifully to Bavouzet's detailed readings. Releases in this series have included a Mozart overture, and here, one gets a vigorous, almost rollicking Overture to Die Entführung aus dem Serail, K. 384, which emphasizes the battery of Turkish percussion in the piece. This unusually satisfying Mozart recording made classical best-seller lists in early 2024.© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$21.99
CD$15.49
Mozart : Violin Concertos
Isabelle Faust
Violin Concertos - Released October 28, 2016 | harmonia mundi
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
Gramophone Record of the Year -
Gramophone Award -
Choc de Classica -
Choc Classica de l'année
"Not another complete recording of Mozart's violin concertos!", some might complain, and in absolute terms they wouldn’t necessarily be wrong. Except that this complete edition is signed by star violinist Isabelle Faust, accompanied by Il Giardino Armonico (who plays on instruments from Mozart’s time, including natural horns, nine-key bassoons, six-key flutes, two-key oboes), and – last but not least – the cadenzas are signed by Andreas Staier, since Mozart has left us no cadenzas for his violin concertos (unlike several piano concertos, as well as his Sinfonia concertante for violin and viola). Far from playing the star, Isabelle Faust prefers to blend in with the whole orchestra, a kind of primus inter pares attitude quite refreshing in this repertoire which, in fact, does not require so much emphasis of the part of soloist – the sound engineering and balance itself favours an overall sound rather than an opposition between solo violin and orchestra. This is a new and very original interpretation, whatever the abundant discography of these works may already be. In addition to the five concertos, Faust plays the three single movements for violin and orchestra – two Rondos and one Adagio – which are actually "spare" movements for one or the other of the concertos written on request for soloists of that time. One wonders what Mozart would have written had he had Isabelle Faust by his side! © SM/Qobuz
From
HI-RES$36.29
CD$31.49
Mozart : Don Giovanni (2016 Remastered)
Carlo Maria Giulini
Full Operas - Released January 1, 1992 | Warner Classics
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
Diapason d'or -
The Qobuz Ideal Discography
' This set... put into the hands of those who have not yet unlocked the paradise of Mozartean opera, is worth... what ? A year at a foreign university ? I don't believe I exaggerate.' (Gramophone)
From
HI-RES$21.09
CD$18.09
Mozart's Mannheim
Freiburger Barockorchester
Classical - Released May 19, 2023 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)
Hi-Res
Booklet
Several recordings have explored the relationship between Mozart and the city of Mannheim, which he visited several times. This Deutsche Grammophon release by the Freiburger Barockorchester and conductor/violinist Gottfried von der Golz may be the best of them. The annotations refer to how Mozart basked in the high regard in which he was held in Mannheim and to how impressed he was with the famed court orchestra there. However, after hearing this release, the listener may be tempted to go even further and assert that the music of Mannheim exerted a strong influence on Mozart in the late 1770s. The entire first half of the program here consists of world premieres, and all of them sound Mozartian. Why? Most of them point toward the big-boned movement structures Mozart loved, even if they don't expand them as far as Mozart would later in his career. Consider the first movement of Christian Cannabich's Symphony No. 55 in C major, with its long passages that move only slowly off the home key; one can hear any number of Mozart movements as proceeding from this idea, and one also wants to hear some more of the numerous and almost completely unplayed symphonies of Cannabich. Even less known are the Mannheim composers Georg Joseph Vogler, Christian Danner, and Carl Joseph Toeschi, and their contributions are eminently listenable. Mozart wraps the program up with a recitative and aria and the unnumbered Symphony in C major, K. 208, assembled by the composer from other music; it absolutely fits in here. The performances are idiomatic, and the sound is excellent. A valuable contribution from von der Goltz and company that landed on classical best-seller charts in the spring of 2023.© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$21.09
CD$18.09
Mozart: Piano Sonatas K. 310-311 & 330-333
Angela Hewitt
Classical - Released October 6, 2023 | Hyperion
Hi-Res
Booklet
Angela Hewitt has been better known for Bach than anything else, but she has increasingly turned to Mozart in later life, recording the piano concertos and now a cycle of the complete piano sonatas, of which this is the second volume. Outwardly, there is something a bit Bachian about her Mozart; she avoids the pedals, her phrasing is direct and foursquare, and she plays the left-hand lines with a clarity that brings out the logic of the counterpoint. However, the beauties of these performances lie in the details, many of which are justified in Hewitt's own extensive notes. Part of her aim is to establish the earlier Mozart sonatas as major works, and she succeeds in this. Although Hewitt plays a modern piano, there are historical details, especially in this volume of sonatas, the first ones in which Mozart stepped fully into pianism. Sample the uncanny, simmering shades of the Fantasia in D minor, D. 397. The variation finale of the Piano Sonata in A major, K. 331, is also exceptionally lively and varied. Hewitt is alert to the influences on these sonatas from other genres, and she is aware of the fecund imagination Mozart brought even to small details. The Hyperion label does well with the sound, leaving its usual English venues for the Kulturstiftung Marienmünster foundation building in Germany. Satisfying, elegant Mozart with much to chew on, and one awaits with pleasure the remainder of Hewitt's series.© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$29.79
CD$25.59
Mozart & Contemporaries
Víkingur Ólafsson
Classical - Released September 3, 2021 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)
Hi-Res
Between tradition and modernity - Víkingur Ólafsson's repertoire is extremely extensive and spans several centuries. In his previous recordings, contemporary composers such as Philip Glass play just as important a role as the early music by Bach, or the impressionistic sounds of Debussy. He himself describes such a diverse repertoire in a simple way: "I see all music as contemporary music, I don’t make a distinction". Now, on his new and thus fourth Deutsche Grammophon album, the Icelandic pianist covers another century with Mozart and his contemporaries. At first glance, the program seems a bit thrown together: In addition to various piano works by Mozart, you’ll find selected works by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Joseph Haydn, as well as their Italian colleagues Baldassare Galuppi and Domenico Cimarosa who pop up in between. However it quickly becomes clear that Ólafsson is once again immersing himself in a new musical era and wants to draw as much as possible from it before presenting it to the listeners. And this is done amazingly well! The pianist manages to reflect the German-Italian influence of the early and high classical period, in the midst of the 18th century, in a uniquely versatile way. In addition to extreme precision, there is also an impressive lightness to his playing at the same time. Another special feature of this album are Ólafsson's self-penned arrangements of Mozart's Adagio in E-flat major, the third movement from the original String Quartet No. 3 in G minor, K. 516, as well as to Cimarosa's Sonatas No. 42 and No. 55. Here one can discover the performing musician in the role of co-creator at the same time - Ólafsson deals with the music with hair-pin precision and provides it with his personal sensual Icelandic, and, indeed, contemporary touch. © Lena Germann/Qobuz
From
HI-RES$15.56
CD$12.45
Mozart Recital
Su Yeon Kim
Classical - Released July 7, 2023 | Steinway and Sons
Hi-Res
Booklet
Where to begin with the wonders of this album by the young pianist Su Yeon Kim, making her debut on the Steinway & Sons label? She should fit right in there, mixing charisma with the bold pianistic approach the label favors. Kim manages to dredge up some Mozart works that are genuinely unfamiliar, make good cases for them, and execute them brilliantly. Consider the Variations on "Unser dummer Pöbel meint," K. 455, where Mozart builds some of the most virtuosic music he ever wrote onto an almost absurdly clumsy theme. Kim's reading is absolutely clean, and she catches the spontaneity and humor Mozart's pianism must have had in its own day. Equally obscure are the four excerpts from the 12 Contredanses for Count Czernin, K. 269b, which also have a variation aspect; they are multistrain dances unlike anything else Mozart wrote (except for his other contradances), and Kim again sees how Mozart could bring original thinking even to music in such a small form. The two piano sonatas that form the centerpieces of the program are full of structural insights; Kim has a precise touch that does not lose warmth. Most of the music is lighthearted, which makes the grim Adagio in B minor, K. 540, all the more moving. There are many more attractions here for listeners to discover, among them Steinway's clear sound from the Sono Luminus studios, in one of the finest Mozart recitals to come along in some time. May there be more from where this one came.© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$31.79
CD$24.59
Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 38-41
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Classical - Released February 1, 2008 | Linn Records
Hi-Res
Booklet
Charles Mackerras' mid-'80s Telarc recordings of Mozart symphonies with the Prague Chamber Orchestra were smart, stylish, and notable for their rhythmic drive and formal verve. Being 20 years older, and thus over the age of 80, clearly hasn't slowed Mackerras as heard in these 2008 Linn recordings with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. They have the same drive and verve as his earlier work, but his vision now seems clearer and more radiant than before. The Scottish musicians play with a tight but relaxed ensemble, a bright but subtle tone, and an obvious affection for the man leading them; they seem to be singing more than playing the scores. With them as his instrument, Mackerras' conducting is more lyrical than before, bringing out inner lines and transforming them into true themes, but without losing any of his earlier propensity for dramatic urgency. This is fortunate because Mackerras has opted to take both the exposition and the development repeats, and so most movements now last 30 to 40 percent longer than they do on other recordings. But such is the brilliance of the orchestra's ensemble and the buoyancy of the director's beat that even the developments seem more compelling the second time around. Anyone interested in Mozart's late symphonies should by all means here this two-disc set. Linn's HDCD sound is translucent.
© TiVo
From
HI-RES$58.89
CD$52.59
Dance!
Daniel Hope
Classical - Released February 2, 2024 | Deutsche Grammophon (DG)
Hi-Res
Violinist Daniel Hope's publicity for this 2024 release promotes it as "[t]racing the history of Western dance from medieval times to the 20th century." It is true that the double album includes music of many eras, from traditional pieces to the 20th century, but this formulation fails to capture the mood achieved here by the always crowd-pleasing Hope. All his selections are short, and for the most part, they jump across the centuries rather than being chronological. Hope both plays and conducts the Zürcher Kammerorchester, and the overall effect is kaleidoscopic, like one of those concerts where pieces follow one another as if in a medley, with lighting effects to match. A double album of short pieces may seem a lot, but this is Hope's point; he seeks to expose the variety of dance rhythms that course through Western classical music, in which dance is not usually thought to play a very significant role. The album is a great deal of fun, with Hope alternately picking up his violin and laying it aside and veering from Baroque dances to Florence Beatrice Price's jazzy "Ticklin' Toes" (it is good to hear her music showing up on non-U.S. releases). In the end, the energy in this big group of 42 pieces never flags.© James Manheim /TiVo
From
HI-RES$24.99
CD$17.99
Mozart : Symphonies Nos. 39, 40, 41
Sir Simon Rattle
Classical - Released April 28, 2017 | Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Hi-Res
Booklet
Suppose you have a more precise idea of what you want. If you are searching for the album "Bad" by Michael Jackson, type michael jackson bad. The album in question will be displayed at the top, as it is the most relevant.
By default, search results are sorted in order of relevance. The drop-down menu to the right of "Sort by" allows you to display the results in the desired order.