Haydn: Concerto for trumpet No1; Mozart: Serenade No9

On this CD:

1. Trumpet Concerto in E flat major, H. 7e/1
Composed by Franz Joseph Haydn
Performed by Vienna State Opera Orchestra with Helmut Wobisch
Conducted by Anton Heiller

2. Serenade No. 9 for orchestra in D major ("Posthorn"), K. 320
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Vienna State Opera Orchestra with Helmut Wobisch
Conducted by Jonathan Sternberg

Tracks:

Concerto In E Minor For Trumpet & Orchestra: I. Allegro
Concerto In E Minor For Trumpet & Orchestra: II. Andante
Concerto In E Minor For Trumpet & Orchestra: III. Allegro
Serenade In D, K. 230 'Posthorn Serenade': I. Adagio maestoso - Allegro con spirito
Serenade In D, K. 230 'Posthorn Serenade': II. Menuetto (Allegretto)
Serenade In D, K. 230 'Posthorn Serenade': III. Concertante (Andante grazioso)
Serenade In D, K. 230 'Posthorn Serenade': IV. jRondeau (Allegro ma non troppo)
Serenade In D, K. 230 'Posthorn Serenade': V. Andantino
Serenade In D, K. 230 'Posthorn Serenade': VI. Menuetto
Serenade In D, K. 230 'Posthorn Serenade': VII. Finale (Presto)

Customer Reviews:

Authentic Mozart from Vienna.......2000-06-18

What a joy to hear the sounds and spirit of old Vienna ! There is something about the playing of this orchestra unlike any other and it is a tribute to conductor Jonathan Sternberg that he extracts the warmest and best from these musicians. Already in the introduction to the first movement we are transformed into a world of beauty and expectation as the transition into the allegro bursts with joy. The conductor knows where he is going as he guides the music from section to section toward a brilliant coda. The entire work displays Mozart at his most inventive with the two Concertante movements providing the woodwinds with an opportunity for extraordinary musical playing. The two Minuets are certainly fun with the second featuring an authentic Posthorn, an instrument hardly ever seen or heard in the normal symphonic repertoire. The slow movement and Finale are treated with sensitivity and brilliance by Jonathan Sternberg who leads this work with a firm and commanding control which results in some fine music making. Pity the sound has not been enhanced since the original issue. Hopefully Music and Arts will be inspired to release the Haydn Nelson Mass, also conducted by Sternberg, which was so sensationally received as one of the first issues of the Haydn Society some 5o years ago.

Vintage Mozart Authentically Performed.......2000-05-25

Finally an authentic performance of this vintage Mozart work which vascilates during seven movements between deadly serious and utter joy. The slow introduction seems to prepare one for a heavy major movement only to suddenly turn into a happy allegro. There are two minuets, one of which introduces the posthorn, a small instrument seldom encountered in the repertoire. Between them is a minor keyed slow movement of typical Mozartian pathos, and sandwiched in the middle are two concertante pieces featuring the woodwinds in a playful conversation. A more appealing 40 minutes of music is difficult to find. The performance by the Vienna State Opera Orchestra under Jonathan Sternberg seems ideally suited to the character of the work. There are none of the interpretive idiocyncracies often found in contemporary recorded versions. This is a natural, outgoing and full sounding rendition, probably as Mozart and his noble entourage might have heard when the piece was played in an Austrian palace. Jonathan Sternberg conducts the Serenade with a rich sense of grandeur and brings out the magnificent orchestral sonorities of the Vienna orchestra. Each movement is teated as an individual gem and the anticipation of what is coming next always present. There are two small faults. The major work on this disc is the Mozart. Why is the lesser and considerably shorter Trumpet Concerto by Haydn, certainly well played by Helmut Wobisch, featured as the primary selection of this CD ? And secondly, the transfer from the original LP could have been considerably enhanced to conform to present day standards. Nevertheless, a must for connoisseurs.

Vintage Mozart Authentically Performed.......2000-05-25

Vienna Orchestral Playing of Top Quality.......1999-10-10

This CD is a gem not to be overlooked. Made when orchestras were not overloaded with recording and performing committments, when economic matters did not limit rehearsal time, when "gemuetlichkeit (Viennese for a particular local charm)was still an everyday characteristic, the playing on this disc is absolutely superb. The tonal qualities of the ensemble, the particular attention to detail of phrasing, the joy of Haydn, the esprit of Mozart at his most inspired are all immediately apparent. Helmut Wobitsch was for many years the principal trumpet player of the Vienna Philharmonic and his sense of style for this music is unquestioned. The Haydn Concerto is a deligtful piece and is given a polished reading which is technically exemplary and tonally as clean as the instrument allows. The orchetral accompaniment by Anton Heiller is good. The Mozart Serenade No. 9 in D (K.320) is quite another matter musically and solistically. The work takes the subtitle "Posthorn" from the sixth of it's seven movements, a Minuet wherein Mozart composes the second trio for posthorn solo, a small circular instrument without valves, resembling a miniature French horn. There are few instruments of this variety extant today, though Mr. Wobitsch owns several according to the descriptive notes, and plays the instrument like a master. The first movement of the Posthorn Serenade is notable for it's continuous musical line without repeats. The introductory adagio is only six measures long though the thematic material is re-introduced at the recapitulation of this sonata-form movement. This is followed by the first of two minuets and then two concertante movements featuring the woodwind instruments. They are in fact like miniature concerti grossi and are both gracious and elegant in ambiance. The slow movement is an andantino and a rather somber contrast to the happy character of the preceeding sections. There follows the above mentioned second minuet with posthorn and then a presto movement which is an elaborate finale with great elan. The orchestration is consummate and the ornimentation full of sparkling qualities. The Serenade is one of Mozart's finest orchestral compositions, an ideal companion to all the great symphonies, and a work in which the listener can identify much of the raw material of Mozart's brilliant workshop. The interpretation of the Posthorn by conductor Jonathan Sternberg bursts with energy and emphasizes the joyous nature of the work. The strings of the State Opera Orchestra make some very beautiful sounds and the whole makes one want to listen to more. Sternberg's affinity for music of this period, his spirited performances of Haydn, Mozart and Schubert was first discovered about half a century ago on the original Haydn Society, Bach Guild, Oceanic and Oisseau-Lyre labels. Of particular note was the first Lord Nelson Mass by Haydn with Lisa Della Casa and George London as vocal soloists. Hopefully Music and Arts will re-issue this as well.It was a classic of the period as was his LP of Rossini's Stabat Mater. Superb !

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