Marriner, Tuckwell: Mozart – Horn Concertos no.1, 4 (FLAC)

Orchestra: Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
Conductor: Neville Marriner
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Audio CD
SPARS Code: A-D
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (tracks+cue)
Label: EMI Classics
Size: 263 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

Horn Concerto No. 1 in D major, K. 412/514 (K. 386b)
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
with Barry Tuckwell
Conducted by Neville Marriner

Horn Concerto No. 2 in E flat major, K. 417
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
with Barry Tuckwell
Conducted by Neville Marriner

Horn Concerto No. 3 in E flat major, K. 447
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
with Barry Tuckwell
Conducted by Neville Marriner

Horn Concerto No. 4 in E flat major, K. 495
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
with Barry Tuckwell
Conducted by Neville Marriner

Movement for horn & orchestra in E major (fragment), (K. 494a)
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
with Barry Tuckwell
Conducted by Neville Marriner

Rondo for horn & orchestra in E flat major (fragment), K. 371
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
with Barry Tuckwell
Conducted by Neville Marriner

Your Money’s Worth, And Then Some!

As I’ve said before in some of my other reviews of these EMI bargain discs, I just don’t know how they keep doing it! I have bought several, and I have been in awe of the artistry and sound of these recordings. Of course, this one couldn’t miss. A legendary composer, A spectacular soloist, and the best chamber orchestra and Maestro in existence – what’s not to like?

I’m not a technical expert in any stretch of the imagination, but all I know is that I have heard these concertos many times before by various artists, and too often the sound has been far less than perfect. The horn solo parts have often had a bitter harshness to them that Mozart could not have foreseen. In this recording, the balance between the soloist and the accompaniment is perfect. I don’t know if that is the result of Tuckwell’s expertise, Mariner and the ASMF accompaniment or the recording technical expertise. I suspect that it is a combination of all of the above. In any case, this CD is spectacular and will afford you many hours of pure enjoyment.