Search - Mozart: Symphonies 1,25,28,29,31,33,34,35,36,38,39,40,41 on DVD

Old Gold

Monica | Romania | 07/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Three DVDs (also known as Volumes I, II, and III) containing a beautifully assembled set of several Mozart symphonies performed decades ago by the Vienna Philharmonic "on location": some are in the legendary Musikvereinssaal, the very name of which gives thrills to the listeners. To those who have not been there, the thrill of seeing again the all-too-familiar gold hall, with its famed chandeliers (even if seen only on television). And to those who have been there, the thrill of remembering the hall's mystifying acoustics.

And conducted by Mozart expert Karl Bohm the classical way, the way it should be, the traditional way, during the golden age, when attending such concerts still meant going to an event that was essentially ceremonial in nature, an event you expected, building up your emotions; one which was always guaranteed to give you a glimpse into the deep reverence that music composing may have meant in Mozart's time, when this genre was alive, with Vienna as its heart and living center.

In some of these performances, you will also get a glimpse of the past with the second violins placed as it used to be, and the way it should be, on the conductor's right hand -- an arrangement that originated in the concerto grosso and which was later changed together with other elements of the tradition.

The orchestra sound is marvelously clear, with great sweetness of tone -- the signature of the Vienna violins. All classically disciplined, every musician led by the conductor bringing his stern contribution to the whole, serving the music and its composer. Every single detail is worked on thoroughly, the style could not be more authentic.

There is even a rare performance of Symphony no. 1, KV 16. This symphony is so marvelously written and so striking, that it is almost frightening, because you will have to face the creation of an 8-year-old child, whose non-human prowess already enabled him to compose a symphony.

The set includes a documentary about Karl Bohm with subtitles in English. There, he expresses "his unending love" for Mozart, emphasizing the "deep sadness in all his music."

But, most importantly, the conductor quotes a letter written by 31-year-old Mozart to his father, in which the composer calls death "something liberating and comforting," adding that the "blissfulness" of coming to terms with death is "what I wish for all my fellow men."
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