Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
The Kölner Akademie and its conductor, Michael Alexander Willens, have sometimes used historical instruments. Here, the instruments seem to be modern, but the approach is still that of the historical performance movement, with crisp attacks and generally brisk tempos. Willens' textures are transparent enough to bring out inner counterpoint but not, as in so many historically oriented performances, enough so to shortchange the strings. Some of these pieces, of course, are among the most familiar Mozart pieces, and indeed the most familiar in the entire classical repertory; listeners wanting to hear the overture to Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492, will find a rapid but graceful reading here. However, this is also a generous selection of overtures, and a close focus on the early Mitridate, re di Ponto, K. 87, composed when Mozart was 14, reveals its striking ambition and the speed with which Mozart was absorbing influence from his older composer friend, Josef Mysliveček. One might even ask why Willens did not include the overtures to some of the other earlier Mozart pieces, inasmuch as the album clocks in at only 62 minutes. In some cases, there is a question as to whether a work should be classified as an opera, but the overture to Bastien und Bastienne, K. 50, which seems known to Beethoven as he was composing the "Eroica" Symphony, has its charms. In any event, the album was cleanly recorded by the BIS label at Cologne Radio, and it provides a peppy hour of Mozart for anyone. It landed on classical best-seller charts in early 2024.
© James Manheim /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr133,33/month
Unknown, MusicPublisher - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer - Michael Alexander Willens, Conductor, MainArtist - Kolner Akademie, Orchestra, MainArtist - Hans Kipfer, Producer
2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB 2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB
Unknown, MusicPublisher - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer - Michael Alexander Willens, Conductor, MainArtist - Kolner Akademie, Orchestra, MainArtist - Hans Kipfer, Producer
2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB 2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB
Unknown, MusicPublisher - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer - Michael Alexander Willens, Conductor, MainArtist - Kolner Akademie, Orchestra, MainArtist - Hans Kipfer, Producer
2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB 2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB
Unknown, MusicPublisher - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer - Michael Alexander Willens, Conductor, MainArtist - Kolner Akademie, Orchestra, MainArtist - Hans Kipfer, Producer
2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB 2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB
Unknown, MusicPublisher - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer - Michael Alexander Willens, Conductor, MainArtist - Kolner Akademie, Orchestra, MainArtist - Hans Kipfer, Producer
2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB 2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB
Unknown, MusicPublisher - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer - Michael Alexander Willens, Conductor, MainArtist - Kolner Akademie, Orchestra, MainArtist - Hans Kipfer, Producer
2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB 2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB
Unknown, MusicPublisher - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer - Michael Alexander Willens, Conductor, MainArtist - Kolner Akademie, Orchestra, MainArtist - Hans Kipfer, Producer
2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB 2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB
Unknown, MusicPublisher - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer - Michael Alexander Willens, Conductor, MainArtist - Kolner Akademie, Orchestra, MainArtist - Hans Kipfer, Producer
2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB 2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB
Unknown, MusicPublisher - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer - Michael Alexander Willens, Conductor, MainArtist - Kolner Akademie, Orchestra, MainArtist - Hans Kipfer, Producer
2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB 2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB
Unknown, MusicPublisher - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer - Michael Alexander Willens, Conductor, MainArtist - Kolner Akademie, Orchestra, MainArtist - Hans Kipfer, Producer
2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB 2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB
Unknown, MusicPublisher - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer - Michael Alexander Willens, Conductor, MainArtist - Kolner Akademie, Orchestra, MainArtist - Hans Kipfer, Producer
2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB 2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB
Unknown, MusicPublisher - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer - Michael Alexander Willens, Conductor, MainArtist - Kolner Akademie, Orchestra, MainArtist - Hans Kipfer, Producer
2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB 2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB
Album review
The Kölner Akademie and its conductor, Michael Alexander Willens, have sometimes used historical instruments. Here, the instruments seem to be modern, but the approach is still that of the historical performance movement, with crisp attacks and generally brisk tempos. Willens' textures are transparent enough to bring out inner counterpoint but not, as in so many historically oriented performances, enough so to shortchange the strings. Some of these pieces, of course, are among the most familiar Mozart pieces, and indeed the most familiar in the entire classical repertory; listeners wanting to hear the overture to Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492, will find a rapid but graceful reading here. However, this is also a generous selection of overtures, and a close focus on the early Mitridate, re di Ponto, K. 87, composed when Mozart was 14, reveals its striking ambition and the speed with which Mozart was absorbing influence from his older composer friend, Josef Mysliveček. One might even ask why Willens did not include the overtures to some of the other earlier Mozart pieces, inasmuch as the album clocks in at only 62 minutes. In some cases, there is a question as to whether a work should be classified as an opera, but the overture to Bastien und Bastienne, K. 50, which seems known to Beethoven as he was composing the "Eroica" Symphony, has its charms. In any event, the album was cleanly recorded by the BIS label at Cologne Radio, and it provides a peppy hour of Mozart for anyone. It landed on classical best-seller charts in early 2024.
© James Manheim /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 01:01:58
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Die Kölner Akademie Michael Alexander Willens
- Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Label: BIS
- Genre: Classical
2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB 2023 Deutschlandradio/BIS Records AB
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.
