This 4CD set is one of the initial releases in the
Naxos "Life and Works" series (the others are devoted to Bach
and Tchaikovsky)
and is a formidable undertaking. The general format is of musical excerpts,
derived from the Naxos back catalogue (many highly thought of and ***
rated in the Penguin Guide, including Barry Wordsworth and Nicholas
Ward in the symphonies, Michael Thompson and the now sadly defunct Bournemouth
Sinfonietta in the Horn Concertos, and Andras Ligeti in the Piano Concertos),
interspersed with generally longer sections of, it has to be said, very
well done narrative. My main gripe, and something that devalues this
set immensely for the general listener rather than the student, is that
despite having up to twenty separate cues per single disc, it is not
possible to listen to the music alone, without speech either starting
or finishing the piece. Despite being an informative listen as a whole,
the scope for repetition is limited for this reason. As the disc is
marketed as an educational resource then this is fair enough but this
listener, for one, would have found it a far more useful package if
the narrative and music were cued totally separately.
So, what do you get for your modest outlay? Four CDs
housed in a sturdy double jewel case and a detailed 128 page booklet
contained in a card slipcase. The booklet contains substantial sections
on the music's Historical Background, Mozart in his Time,
the Major Works and their Significance plus a very useful Graded
Listening Plan, a reading list and a glossary. Other than the problem
discussed above it is difficult to find fault with the initiative, and
it even includes some relevant musical items not written by Wolfgang
Amadeus, including his father Leopold's Sinfonia di caccia, Allegri's
Miserere and a Clementi Piano Sonata. Highly knowledgeable
writer and narrator Jeremy Siepmann even gets to tickle the keys on
the previously unreleased Minuet in G, K.1! The musical emphasis
is placed on the symphonies and concertos (piano, in particular) and
there are some notable omissions, e.g. The Magic Flute, presumably
for the reason that Naxos has yet to record them.
So, a qualified ‘thumbs up’ to this release and the
enterprise it heralds. Wonderful for music students and autodidacts
alike, also great educational entertainment on a long journey but I
would appeal to Naxos to make any future issues more user friendly in
the way I have suggested. A previous Mozart compilation, aimed specifically
at children (Listen Learn and Grow), has long been a favourite
with various members of this household - there are some great performances
in the company's vaults which might have been done greater justice this
time around. However, Jeremy Siepmann has done an otherwise superb job
at bringing to life one of the greatest stories in musical history.
Neil Horner
