Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Symphony No. 35 ‘Haffner’; Posthorn-Serenade – Concentus Musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt (2013) [Qobuz FLAC 24bit/44,1kHz]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Symphony No. 35 ‘Haffner’; Posthorn-Serenade – Concentus Musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt (2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:11:26 minutes | 692 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: Qobuz | © Sony Classical
Recorded: June 9,10 & december 1,2 2012, Goldener Saal, Musikverein, Wien

Recorded at the Golden Hall in the Musikverein Vienna in 2012, this is two of the most important works of Mozart’s ‘middle’ period that Harnoncourt has never recorded with a period-instrument orchestra before. Harnoncourt is well known for his unique interpretation of Mozart and this is reflected by the highly flexible playing and phrasing from the orchestra. This album marks the 60th anniversary of the collaboration between Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Concentus Musicus Wien.

The Posthorn Serenade, written in 1779 for the student’s farewell at the end of term at Salzburg University, is one of Mozart’s longest and most varied instrumental works, a plethora of musical characters typical of Mozart’s serenades and a unique blend of elements of dance, solo concerto and symphonic writing. Its rendering here is preceded by a March (KV 335 /1) which, according to Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s musical research, was played in Salzburg in 1779 before the actual performance started.

Mozart’s symphony No. 35, the Haffner Symphony (named after the Salzburg family who commissioned the work in 1782), was originally conceived as a serenade as well. Written in a particularly festive and serene style making best use of the orchestra’s virtuosic possibilities, it’s the shortest of Mozart’s mature symphonies and one of the most popular and effective ones. The new recording marks the first time Nikolaus Harnoncourt revisits the piece after his epoch-making version of 1980 (with Concertgebouw Orkest).

Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s 2014 Sony release offers three of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s compositions, connected to his years in Salzburg. Intended to accompany the university’s summer closing ceremonies, the March in D major, K. 335, was one of two marches used as processional music for the student body, and scholars connect them to the Serenade in D major, K. 320, “Posthorn,” which was composed in 1779 as the ceremonial Finalmusik. While the Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385, “Haffner,” is connected to the earlier Serenade in D major, K. 250, “Haffner,” it fits well with the festive style and key of the previous works on the CD and shows the close connection of the multi-movement serenade and the four-movement symphony in Mozart’s mind. Harnoncourt and his longtime ensemble, Concentus Musicus Wien, give impeccable performances in Classical period style, and the robust sound of these recordings is striking for its clarity and penetrating tone, just what would be needed for outdoor performances. Even so, the listener may wonder why the “Haffner” Serenade wasn’t chosen for the program, to correspond to the “Haffner” Symphony, if the purpose is to show the real musical and historical connections between Mozart’s works. One can only hope that Harnoncourt will record it sometime with Concentus Musicus Wien for Sony, because he last recorded it in 1989 with Staatskapelle Dresden for Teldec, and that recording’s availability is limited. -AllMusic Review by Blair Sanderson

Tracklist:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
1. March No. 1 in D Major, K. 335 (K. 320a) 04:00

Serenade in D Major, K. 320, ‘Posthorn-Serenade’
2. I. Adagio maestoso – Allegro con spirito 08:45
3. II. Menuetto. Allegro – Trio 05:25
4. III. Concertante. Andante grazioso 08:36
5. IV. Rondeau. Allegro ma non troppo 06:29
6. V. Andantino 06:27
7. VI. Menuetto – Trio I – Trio II 05:11
8. VII. Finale. Presto 04:24

Symphony in D Major, K. 385 ‘Haffner-Sinfonie’
9. I. Allegro con spirito 06:07
10. II. Andante 08:07
11. III. Menuetto – Trio 03:38
12. IV. Presto 04:11

Personnel:
Concentus Musicus Wien
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor

Download:

mqs.link_MzartSymphnyN.35HaffnerPsthrnSerenadeCncentusMusicusWienNiklausHarnncurt201344.124.rar