Arigoni: Mozart – 46 Symphonies (10 CD boxset, FLAC)

Audio CD
Orchestra: Italian Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Alessandro Arigoni
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 10 CD box set
Format: FLAC (tracks+cue)
Label: Past Perfect
Size: 2.8 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

01. Symphony No.1 In E Flat Major, K.16
02. Symphony No.4 In D Major, K.19
03. Symphony In F Major, K.19a
04. Symphony No.5 In B Flat Major, K.22
05. Symphony No.6 In F Major, K.43
06. Symphony No.43 In F Major, K.76
07. Symphony No.7 In D Major, K.45
08. Symphony No.7a In G Major, K.45a ‘Alte Lambacher’
09. Symphony No.55 In B Flat Major, K.45b
10. Symphony No.8 In D Major, K.48
11. Symphony No.9 In C Major, K.73
12. Symphony No.10 In G Major, K.74
13. Symphony No.44 In D Major, K.81
14. Symphony No.11 In D Major, K.84
15. Symphony No.45 In D Major, K.95
16. Symphony No.47 In D Major, K.97
17. Symphony No.46 In C Major, K.96
18. Symphony No.42 In F Major, K.75
19. Symphony No.12 In G Major, K.110
20. Symphony No.13 In F Major, K.112
21. Symphony No.14 In A Major, K.114
22. Symphony No.15 In G Major, K.124
23. Symphony No.16 In C Major, K.128
24. Symphony No.17 In G Major, K.129
25. Symphony No.18 In F Major, K.130
26. Symphony No.19 In E Flat Major, K.132
27. Symphony No.20 In D Major, K.133
28. Symphony No.21 In A Major, K.134
29. Symphony No.22 In C Major, K.162
30. Symphony No.23 In D Major, K.181
31. Symphony No.24 In B Flat Major, K.182
32. Symphony No.25 In G Minor, K.183
33. Symphony No.26 In E Flat Major, K.184
34. Symphony No.27 In G Major, K.199
35. Symphony No.28 In C Major, K.200
36. Symphony No.29 In A Major, K.201
37. Symphony No.30 In D Major, K.202
38. Symphony No.31 In D Major, K.297 “Paris“
39. Symphony No.33 In B Flat Major, K.319
40. Symphony No.34 In C Major, K.338
41. Symphony No.35 In D Major, K.385 “Haffner“
42. Symphony No.36 In C Major, K.425 “Linz“
43. Symphony No.38 In D Major, K.504 “Prague“
44. Symphony No.39 In E Flat Major, K.543
45. Symphony No.40 In G Minor, K.550
46. Symphony No.41 In C Major, K.551 “Jupiter“

Super Deal on a Super Collection

I first noticed this collection when it was offered by the Musical Heritage Society for $[…]. That seemed like a good deal if the performance is good, so I went to Amazon to check out the product reviews. After reading the post by Tim, and especially seeing the Amazon price of $[…] (S&H included in all quoted prices), I decided to take a chance. I am not disappointed. Not only did I receive my order within a week, it is pretty much just as described in Tim’s posting. It includes all of the 41 numbered symphonies, except for 4. Numbers 2, 3, and 37 are omitted because later research has indicated that these were the works of other composers. Symphony #32 is omitted because, at just one movement, it can hardly be called a symphony. These omissions are more than compensated for by the inclusion of other symphonies that didn’t make the list of 42. For the most part, these are missing some key piece of evidence, such as an autographed score, that prevents a definitive identification with Mozart. But the experts agree pretty much that the 9 additional symphonies in this set are from the hand of Wolfgang.

The performing orchestra, the Orchestra Filarmonica Italiana does a good job with these. You will not mistake them for the Concertgebouw or the Berlin Philhamoniker, but they’re not from your local high school either. They are a collection of talented musicians, clearly competent with Mozart. If you want to check out the quality of their playing, [….] where you can stream performance samples. A knowledge of Italian will help you navigate the site, but you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding the streams. I found the engineering left a bit to be desired. The sound is rather flat, with some distortion in the lower registers. But turning up the treble on my amp made a big difference. The collection is pretty much as described in Tim’s posted review. You’ll want to get other recordings of the famous symphonies, but this is more than adequate to fill in your collection. I rate it a solid 3 stars and added a fourth for the outstanding value. If you want a comprehensive collection of Mozart symphonies, go for this. You won’t be disappointed.