Mozart Edition: Complete Works (170 CD Box Set)
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Music CD Cover
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus MozartPerformer: Bruce Abel
Performer: Christian Tchelebiev
Performer: Christof Fischesser
Performer: Ezio Maria Tisi
Performer: Gottfried Hornik
Performer: Hermann-Christian Polster
Performer: Klaus Mertens
Performer: Manfred Bittner
Performer: Peter Schneyder
Edition: Music CD
Format: Box set
CD Release Date: 2005-10-25
Music Label: Brilliant Classics
Free Music Notes for Mozart Edition: Complete Works (170 CD Box Set)
Free Music Review: Perfect for filling in the gaps and expanding horizons
Hit: 5 Stars
I read all of the customer reviews before requesting this box set for my 31st birthday. I'm glad I did; I knew just what to expect. I agree with others in that these are not all the absolute top recordings of each piece. Some are world class, some could have been mixed better. What do I mean by that? For example, the first thing I listened to was a piece for flute with orchestral accompaniment. I thought the flute was kind of drowned out by the orchestra.
But the main reason I wanted this is because prior to having this, 95% of the Mozart that I heard became my favorite music. Symphonies, sonatas, concerti... they're all just brilliant. I wanted more, and could not find anything new at the local Borders Books & Music. All they seem to want to sell is crap like: "Best of Mozart", "Mozart for your Baby", and "Mozart for Relaxation". Looking at the track listings, these were pieces I already have, arranged by some pencil-neck to try to sell more stuff to people who don't know what they like.
I was looking forward to not only hearing Mozart that is seldom recorded and hard to find, but also to hear some of my favorite pieces on period instruments.
Let me elaborate: Mozart wrote much of this music for classical piano of the 18th and even clavichord. Yet it is most often performed on 20th century concert grands. This is not the same instrument, and it is not the same sound. For instance, did you know that on a clavichord, one can sway one's fingers on the keys and change the sound of the note? C.P.E. Bach preferred the clavichord to the fortepiano for this reason; one can just do more with a clavichord. Also, some of the music was written for harpsichord but is most often performed on piano. What's up with that? The instruments are only similar because they both are keyboard instruments. One plucks the strings, the other hammers them.
As others have said, this set does not include jewel cases or a booklet; just the CDs in paper sleeves in a big long box, and one CD with all the text and libretti in PDF format. I really think this is a brilliant way to cut costs. The cost of paper and printing is drastically reduced, and the material cost for the jewel cases is eliminated. Yet we still get CDs, a nice catalog printed on the inside of the main box, complete track listings on the paper CD sleeves, and all the comments in the PDFs of CD #1.
Last time I checked, the equivalent Philips set, "The Complete Mozart Edition" cost around $[...]. This one, at the time of purchase was more like $[...]. In other words, the Philips set is about 17X more expensive. What would I get for my money if I were to spring for the Philips set? More famous performers, more plastic cases, more paper, and fancier packaging. To be fair, some of the recordings are mixed better as well. I give a big thumbs-up to Brilliant Classics to making Mozart's complete works affordable to the everyday person. Not every can afford to drop $[...] on a CD set...
Right now, I am reading the PDF notes on Vol. 6, CD 9, "Klavierstucke Vol. I" while I listen to it. Track 20 on this CD, KV 312, is called Sonatensatz in G minor. I never knew this existed. Now it is one of my favorite pieces by Mozart. That is the beauty of this set: you will find many hidden gems that no one bothers to record today, because they are not easy to categorize and are not considered a great masterpiece by the critics. As I read the notes in the PDF file, I am learning more and more about the instruments and musical tastes of Mozart's time. I learned that the grandaddy of our modern piano was invented in about 1698 by an Italian bloke named Bartolomeo Cristofori, but that the subtle tones that it was capable of didn't come into fashion until the 1750s, when Mozart was born.
Part of the beauty of this set is that it gives the complete Mozart experience. Not only the (nearly) complete surviving works of the master himself, but also the history surrounding the compositions.
I've only listened to parts of about 7 CDs now. I'll update this review as I get further and further into this collection.
I'm hoping that I will find all these hidden jewels, and if I don't like the recordings or performers of them, I will seek out better recordings at arkivmusic.com. (They have about the most extensive selection of classical music available anywhere)
I rated this 5 stars even though some of the recordings or renditions aren't the absolute top-of-the-line. The reason is because it is such an incredible value. The recordings range from good to oustanding, and even the ones that are "only" good let you hear the music that you might not have heard otherwise.
About 5 years ago, I was considering getting a bank loan to buy the Philips Complete Mozart Edition. I was hoping that something like this would come out. Finally, Mozart turned 250 and some clever Dutchman decided he was going to do it. Thank you so much! I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I'm going to bring the set to work and listen to it CD by CD on my headphones as I do my work.
**Who Should Buy This**
- Someone who has already listened to a lot of Mozart and likes almost everything he/she has heard.
- Someone who is curious to hear the lesser-known and seldom bits and are hoping to find the hidden gems.
- Someone who is sick to death of perusing the pitiful classical music sections of your local music stores, hoping to find "new" Mozart, and instead finding the same old stuff in new packaging and advertised differently.
**Who Should Not Buy This**
- Someone who is so badly spoiled by the "A-List Performers" that he/she can't stand to hear someone less famous playing
- Someone who expects perfection everywhere at a bargain price
- Someone who only likes certain genres of Mozart's music, for instance violin concerti or piano sonatas.
- Someone who is already pretty sure he/she has his/her favorite recordings of his/her favorite Mozart and is just curious.
**April 28, 2008 Update**
I have listened to probably about 30 CDs of this set now. I like it more all the time. None of the performances are bad. There are some that are only good, but none worse than that.
There are some real gems in the piano volume. Stuff that just isn't recorded except on boxed sets like this.
As I type this, I'm listening to the CD with Mozart's piano keyboard sonatas after J.C. Bach. (J.S. Bach's youngest son, who was an influence on Mozart) After Mozart's versions, they have the J.C. Bach versions. A very nice touch. (The Bach versions are better. ;) )
The CDs I like the best so far are the miscellaneous ones. For example, CDs 9, 10, and 11 of Vol. 6 are "Klavierstucke." Just miscellaneous smaller scale piano pieces that don't seem to ever be recorded elsewhere.
Later in Vol. 6 are Mozart's surviving organ works. It isn't widely known, but his organ music is as good as J.S. Bach's, and easier to listen to.
I can tell I'm going to enjoy this for many years. Next up is the J.S. Bach boxed set!
**** 14-Month Update ****
I like this set more all the time. I keep finding gems in here. Stuff they NEVER play on the radio, and stuff that is rarely or EVER recorded. The latest example are his Vespers and organ sonatas. The beauty is that the occasional piece that is below par (some of his early operas were not very good) is not very disappointing.
What I did was bring the whole set to work. I lock it up at the end of each day. But I listen to the music while I'm working throughout the day, and when I find a track or even a whole CD that really is great, I make a note of it. Later, I rip those CDs onto my iPod.
Since I wrote this review originally, we took a vacation to Europe and spent a week in Austria. We spent 3 days in Vienna and 2 days in Salzburg. We saw all of Mozart's apartments that are still existing and even visited his grave. Mozart is a big brand name for chocolate over there. The point is that now that I have seen the same places he saw (including the fortress of the hated archbishop!) I can appreciate the music all the more. One church in Salzburg has 5 organs (!), which can be played simultaneously.
The bottom line is that if you are a real Mozart fan, you owe it to yourself to buy this. Note that it is not getting cheaper, rather it is getting more expensive.
This year, I have asked for the Bach Complete works set for Christmas. I know I will not be disappointed, as I know what to expect now.
This is highly recommended, and it is not getting old.
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