FanFaire's CD Rack

CELEBRATING MOZART with SPECIAL EDITIONS / NEW & RARE RECORDINGS
OPERA SERIA, OPERA BUFFA, EARLY SONATAS...

MOZART: The "Little Sonatas"

THE EARLY SONATAS KV 10-15 - Nimbus Records NI 5754
We sometimes are amazed by the words that come out of the mouths of babes. What about the music that comes out of the minds of babes? Mozart was all of nine years of age - not exactly an infant, but a child nonetheless - when he wrote the six "little sonatas" for harpsichord and flute (or violin as originally envisioned) in this quite enjoyable recording by Hansgeorg Schmeiser (flute) and Ingomar Rainer (harpsichord).

Originally printed as Opus 3 in London in 1765 where Mozart was being presented as a child prodigy, these pieces, thought to have probably been edited by his father Leopold, have since seen several incarnations as piano and chamber music (e.g., as 6 Sonatas for Flute and Piano) of interest mainly to antiquarians and flutists. In this the latest edition, Rainer and Schmeiser start out from the original printed version using a historical harpsichord and a modern flute to explore the musical possibilities of these works of childhood. What they discover (and what we hear) are structurally cohesive pieces that are rich in invention, characterized by a "youthful zest", and have "an astounding depth of feeling;" and that belie the composer's age and equal, if not surpass, the creations of his more mature contemporaries. Listen to some clips, and you will likely agree that these "little sonatas" are NOT diamonds in the rough but little diamonds of childhood that presage the great masterpieces of his adult years.

Sonata in B flat KV.10

Sonata in A KV.12

Sonata in F KV.13 Sonata in F KV.13
(Allegro) (Allegro) (Menuetto 1&2) (Allegro grazioso)

MOZART: Anne-Sophie Mutter's "Mozart Project"

Mozart has been a dominant presence in the career of celebrated violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. Thus in 2006, in celebration of Mozart's 250th birth anniversary and her own 30th year of performing, she launched her Mozart Project: a series of new recordings of Mozart's works. The first two such albums were issued earlier this year, about which there will be more on FanFaire soon.


THE VIOLIN CONCERTOS / SINFONIA CONCERTANTE with the London Philharmonic Orchestra Anne-Sophie Mutter, violinist & conductor Yuri Bashmet, viola	PIANO TRIOS K. 502, 542, 548 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin; André Previn, piano Daniel Müller-Schott, cello
Deutsche Gramophone B0005078-02	Deutsche Gramophone B0006099-02