Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – String Quintets K.406 & K.516

Recorded at the Unitarian Church, Budapest, from 14th to 17h of February, 1994.

About these works:
Mozart’s String Quintet in C minor, K 406 is the composer’s own arrangement of a Wind Serenade, K. 388, for two oboes, clarinets, horns and bassoon, written in 1782 at the end of July, shortly after the completion of the Singspiel Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio). It is mentioned by Mozart in a letter to his father on 27th July in that year, described as Nacht Musique but is not in the form or mood of a Serenade. The later arrangement was presumably designed to be advertised with the Quintels K. 515 and 516 on 2nd, 5th and 9th April 1788 in the Wiener Zeitung, where they are announced as schön und korrekt geschrieben, to be had from Johann Michael Puchberg, the textile-merchant and fellow freemason of Mozart, to whom he had lent various sums of money. The advertised quintets, available on subscription, represented an effort by Mozart to repay Puchberg. The failure of this attempt can be seen from a second advertisement in the Wiener Zeitung on 25th June, extending the subscription period to 1st January 1789. Publication by Artaria followed in 1789 and 1790, with the third of the quintets, K 406, appearing in 1792 after the composer’s death. The C minor Quintet, like Mozart’s other string quintets scored for two violins, two violas and cello, opens with a strong statement of the key on the ascending notes of the C minor tonic chord, with a softer answering syncopated phrase The second subject, in E flat major, is announced by the first violin, then joined by the first viola. Marked rhythms conclude the exposition, which is then repeated, followed by the central development, at first entrusted to violas and cello. There is a pause before the return of the first subject in recapitulation, with the second subject now transposed into C minor and varied to suit its new harmonic context. A gentle E flat melody opens the Andante, a first violin aria, in which the second violin joins in duet. The principal theme makes a hesitant re-appearance, followed by the secondary material, now transposed to end in E flat. The C minor Menuetto in canone uses the imitative device of canon in various ways, at first when the cello imitates the first violin and later briefly between first and second violin and more substantially between violins and violas, followed by the cello. The Trio, in C major, is in inverted canon, the first violin imitating the second with an inversion of the theme and the cello the first viola, while the second viola remains silent. The final Allegro is a set of variations, the first strongly marked in rhythm, followed by a version of the theme in triplets from the first violin. Syncopation characterizes the next variation, leading to a version that allows the cello a running part. Violas and cello open an E flat major variation, answered by the violins The first viola springs into activity in the next treatment of the material, followed by the cello, and a solemn passage of suspensions leads to the return of the theme, now in a cheerful C major. The Quintet in G minor, K. 516, bears the date 16th May 1787 and was written either before or during the composition of Don Giovanni, the period of the final illness of Mozart’s father, who died in Salzburg on 28th May. It is the most heartfelt of the string quintets, with an immediate poignancy in the principal theme, heard initially from the first violin, accompanied by second violin and first viola and then from the first viola, accompanied by the second viola and cello. The descending notes of the cello, echoing those of the first violin, lead to a second subject that goes some way towards dispelling the air of melancholy. This is transformed into the tragic in the development and again on its re-appearance in the recapitulation. The principal theme dominates the coda, as instrument after instrument enters in imitation. The Minuet sustains the mood, its melodic line broken by heavy chords. The Trio, in G major, offers a measure of contrast. The E flat major Adagio starts with a muted statement of the principal theme in music of great beauty, from which tragedy is never far away and soon makes its overt appearance. There is delight in the descending violin figure, answered by the first viola over a syncopated accompaniment, before the return of the first theme. The key of G minor returns in the Adagio introduction to the last movement in music of infinite sadness, leading to the G major Allegro, with its delicate and sprightly theme, intervening between episodes in which still the occasional shadow falls.

The Artists:
Éder Quartet
Jenos Selmeczi: violin
Peter Szts: violin
Sndor Papp: viola
Gyorgy Eder: cello
+
János Fehérvári: 2nd viola

Track List:
1. String Quintet KV 406 – I – Allegro (7:55)
2. String Quintet KV 406 – II – Andante (4:34)
3. String Quintet KV 406 – III – Menuetto (4:28)
4. String Quintet KV 406 – IV – Allegro (6:07)
5. String Quintet KV 516 – I – Allegro (10:09)
6. String Quintet KV 516 – II – Menuetto (5:23)
7. String Quintet KV 516 – III – Adagio ma non troppo (7:35)
8. String Quintet KV 516 – IV – Adagio – Allegro (10:12)

Stereo, DDD, mp3 (320 kbps), 136.99 Mb, 56:01 minutes. Info & covers included.

Part1 — Part2

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Le Nozze Di Figaro

Recorded in Berlin in 1968.

About this opera:
Whatever the merits of sets made since, this one is ensured a revered place in the pantheon of Figaro recordings. Made in 1968, when Bohm was enjoying an Indian summer, it was based on a production by Sellner at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin and indeed the production was supervised by Sellner. Since its premiere under Bohm in 1963, he had led many revivals including some performances with this cast, around the time the recording was made, which surely accounts for this sense of a true ensemble felt all round and of a thought-through interpretation. The crisp, clear, yet spacious recording, seldom matched on more recent versions, only enhances the authority and warmth of the reading. Bohm radiates the wisdom of his years of attendance on the score without any slackening of his rhythmic grip or his demand for precision of execution. It was also part of Bohm’s genius to weld a heterogenous cast into a convincing whole. No need at this stretch of time to commend the singers individually; each has complete command vocally and dramatically of his or her role though one must just mention Janowitz’s dignified yet lively Countess and Mathis’s animated, alluring Susanna.

The Artists:
Chor Und Orchestra Der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Karl Böhm: conductor
+
Dietrich FIscher-Dieskau: Il Comte Di Almaviva
Gundula Janowitz: La Contessa Di Almaviva
Edith Mathis: Sussana
Herman Prey: Figaro
Tatiana Troyanos: Cherubino
Patricia Johnson: Marcellina
Martin Vantin: Don Curzio

Track List:
cd1:
01. Overture (4:14)
02. Act 1, Duetto – Cinque…dieci…venti….trenta… (3:25)
03. Duettino – Se a caso madama la notte ti chiama (4:07)
04. Cavatina – Bravo, signor padrone! (4:27)
05. Aria – La vendetta, oh, la vendetta (3:55)
06. Duettino – Via, resti servita, madama brillante (4:00)
07. Aria – Non so piu cosa son, cosa faccio (6:19)
08. Terzetto – Cosa sento! tosto andante (5:21)
09. Coro – Giovanti liete, fiori spargente (4:37)
10. Aria – Non piu andrai, farfallone amoroso (3:52)
11. Act 2, Cavatina – Porgi, amor (8:47)
12. Canzona – Voi che sapete (4:05)
13. Aria – Venite…inginocchiatevi (3:13)
cd2:
01. Recitativo – Quante buffonerie! (3:28)
02. Terzetto – Susanna, or via, sortite (4:08)
03. Duettino – Aprite, presto, aprite (2:32)
04. Finale – Esci, ormai, garzon malnato (7:54)
05. Signori, di fuori son già i suonatori (9:12)
06. Voi signor, che giusto siete (4:03)
07. Recitativo – Che imbarazzo è mai questo (2:25)
08. Duetto – Crudel! perchè finora farmi languir cosi? (3:30)
09. Recitativo ad Aria – Hai gia vinta la causa! – Vedrò, mentr’io sospiro (6:46)
10. Sestetto – Riconosci in questo amplesso (6:24)
11. Recitativo ed Aria – E Susanna non vien! – Dove sono i bei momenti (7:36)
12. Duettino – Su l’aria / Che soave zeffiretto (3:54)
cd3:
1. Coro – Ricevete, o padroncina (3:35)
2. Finale – Ecco la marcia… andiamo (6:16)
3. Act 4, Cavatina – L’ho perduta (3:56)
4. Aria – Il capro e la capretta (5:28)
5. Aria – In quegli anni in cui val poco (4:04)
6. Recitativa ed Aria – Tutto e disposto – Aprite un po’ quegli occhi (5:01)
7. Recitativo ed Aria – Giunse alfin il momento – Deh vieni, non tardar (5:32)
8. Finale – Pian pianin le andrò più presso (11:35)
9. Gente,gente, all’armi, all’armi (5:07)

Stereo, ADD, mp3 (30 kbps CBR), 421.86 Mb, 173:12 minutes. Full info, synosis & covers included.
Part1 — Part2 — Part3 — Part4 — Part5

Various Artists – Great Opera Arias

Recorded between 1979 & 1988

About these works:
The fourteen extracts recorded here are among the best-loved arias from the worlds’s most famous operas. All of them were recorded with the most famous and reputed singers and orchestras, in some cases during live performances. This recording is a good opportunity for those prefering short pieces, to get familiar with the greatest arias.

Track List & Artists:
01. Puccini – Tosca – E Lucevan Le Stelle (3:14)
Giacomo Aragall: Cavaradossi
National Philharmonic Orchestra – Sir Georg Solti
Recorded in 1984

02. Puccini – Manon Lescaut – In quelle Trine Morbide (2:17)
Kiri Te Kanawa: Manon
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna – Riccardo Chailly
Recorded in 1987

03. Mozart – Le Nozze Di Figaro – Voi Che Sapete (2:57)
Frederica Von Stade: Cherubino
London Philharmonic Orchestra – Sir Georg Solti
Recorded in 1981

04. Rossini – Il Barbiere Di Siviglia – Largo Al facotum (5:06)
Leo Nucci: Figaro
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna – Giuseppe Patanè
Recorded in 1988

05. Verdi – Ernani – Surta È La Notte (6:06)
Susan Sunn: Elvira
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna – Riccardo Chailly
Recorded in 1987

06. Massenet – Werther – Pourquoi Me Réveiller (3:06)
Luciano Pavarotti: Werther
National Philharmonic Orchestra – Oliviero de Fabrittis
Recorded in 1979

07. Beethoven – Fidelio – Abscheulicher, Komm, Hoffung (8:03)
Hildegard Behrens: Leonore
Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Sir Georg Solti
Recorded in 1979

08. Boito – Mefistofele -Sono Lo Spirito Che Nega (3:32)
Nicolai Ghiaurov: Mefistofele
National Philharmonic Orchestra – Oliviero de Fabrittis
Recorded in 1980

09. Boito – Mefistofele – L’altra Notte In Fondo Al Mare (6:56)
Mirella Freni: Margherita
National Philharmonic Orchestra – Oliviero de Fabrittis
Recorded in 1980

10. Puccini – Manon Lescaut – Donna Non Vidi Mai (2:14)
José Carreras: Des Grieux
Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna – Riccardo Chailly
Recorded in 1987

11. Giordano – Andrea Chénier – La Mamma Morta (5:15)
Monserrat Caballé: Maddalena
National Philharmonic Orchestra – Riccardo Chailly
Recorded in 1984

12. Rossini – La Donna Del Lago – Mura Felici (9:57)
Marylin Horne: Malcolm
New York City Orchestra: Richard Bonynge
Recorded in 1981

13. Puccini – La Bohème – Che Gelida Manina (4:34)
Luciano Pavarotti: Rodolfo
New York City Orchestra: Richard Bonynge

14. Verdi – Il Masnadieri – Tu Del Mio Carlo..Carlo Vive (8:20)
Joan Sutherland: Amalia
New York City Orchestra: Richard Bonynge
Recorded in 1981

Stereo, DDD, mp3, 320 kbps, 188.99 Mb, 71:43 minutes

Part1 —  Part2

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – 4 Horn & Bassoon Concertos

Recorded in New York on March & December, 1987.

About these works:
The Bassoon Concerto in B flat major (K. 191), written in 1774 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is the most standard piece in the entire bassoon repertory. Nearly all professional bassoonists will perform the piece at some stage in their career, and it is probably the most commonly requested piece in orchestral auditions – it is usually requested that the player perform the excerpts from concerto’s first two movements in every audition. Although the autograph is lost, the exact date of the finishing is known: 4 June 1774. Mozart wrote the bassoon concerto when he was 18 years old, and it was his first concerto for wind instruments. Although it is believed that it was commissioned by an aristocratic amateur bassoon player Thaddäus Freiherr von Dürnitz, who owned seventy-four works by Mozart, this is a claim that is supported by little evidence. Scholars believe that Mozart wrote perhaps three bassoon concerti, but that only the first has survived.

Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major, K. 417 was completed in 1783. The work is in three movements: Allegro maestoso, Andante & Rondo Più allegro. Mozart’s good-natured ribbing of his friend is evident in the manuscript inscription “W. A. Mozart took pity on Leitgeb, as, ox and fool in Vienna on 27 May 1783.” This is one of two horn concerti of Mozart to omit bassoons. It is also one of Mozart’s two horn concerti to have ripieno horns (horns included in the orchestra besides the soloist), though in contrast to K. 495, the solo horn in this one does not duplicate the first ripieno horn’s part in the tutti passages.

Horn Concerto No. 1 in D major, K. 412/386b was completed in 1791. The work is in two movements. This is one of two horn concerti of Mozart to include bassoons (the other is K. 447), but in this one he “treats them indifferently in the first movement.” It is the only one of Mozart’s horn concerti to be in D major (the rest are in E-flat major) and the only one to have just two movements instead of the usual three. Although numbered first, this was actually the last of the four to be completed. Compared to the other three concertos, it is shorter in duration (two movements rather than three), and is much simpler in regard to both range and technique, perhaps in a nod to Leitgeb’s, the horn player and Mozart’s great friend, advanced age and (presumably) reduced capabilities at the time of composition. The second movement was shown by Alan Tyson to have been finished by Mozart’s student Franz Xaver Süssmayr after Mozart’s death.

Horn Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major, K. 447 was completed between 1784 and 1787, during the Vienna Period. The composition was written as a friendly gesture for the hornist Joseph Leutgeb (his name is mentioned few times in the score), and Mozart probably didn’t consider it as particularly important, since he failed to enter it to the autograph catalogue of his works. The autograph score remained well preserved, it is stored in the British Library in London.

Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat major, K. 495 was completed in 1786. The work is in three movements. The manuscript, written in red, green, blue, and black ink, was formerly considered as a jocular attempt to rattle the intended performer, Mozart’s friend Joseph Leutgeb. However, recently it was suggested, that the multicolored score may be also a kind of “color code”. The last movement is a “quite obvious” example of the hunt topic, “in which the intervallic construction, featuring prominent tonic and dominant triads in the main melody, was to some degree dictated by the capability of the horn, and so was more closely allied with the original ‘pure’ characteristics of the ‘chasse’ as an open-air hunting call.” This concerto is one of Mozart’s two horn concerti to have ripieno horns (horns included in the orchestra besides the soloist), though in contrast to K. 417, the solo horn in this one duplicates the first ripieno horn’s part in the tutti passages.

Artists & Track List:

Stereo, DDD, 320 kbps, 186.41 Mb, 74:04 minutes. Covers & info included.

Part1 —–   Part2

Este es para “tete”

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – String Quartets No.20 & 23 & Adagio And Fugue In C Minor, K.546

Recorded at the Unitarian Church, Budapest,from 5th to 9th April, 1993.

About this work:
The String Quartet in D Major, K. 499, was written in 1786 in Vienna by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was published by — if not indeed written for — his friend Franz Anton Hoffmeister. Because of this, the quartet has acquired the nickname Hoffmeister. There are four movements:
I. Allegretto, in D major
II. Menuetto: Allegretto, in D major, with a trio section in D minor
III. Adagio, in G major
IV. Allegro, in D major
This work, sandwiched between the six quartets he dedicated to Joseph Haydn (1782–5) and the following three Prussian quartets (1789–90), intended to be dedicated to King Frederick William II of Prussia (the first edition bore no dedication, however), is often polyphonic in a way uncharacteristic of the earlier part of the classical music era. The menuetto and its trio give good examples of this in brief, with the brief irregular near-canon between first violin and viola in the second half of the main portion of the minuet, and the double imitations (between the violins, and between the viola and cello) going on in the trio.

Mozart’s final string quartet No.23 was to have been the third of six the composer intended to dedicate to King Frederick William II of Prussia, the cello-playing monarch whom Boccherini served as exclusive chamber musician from 1787 until the death of the king ten years later. Shortly after entering the F major Quartet in his thematic catalog in June, 1790, Mozart told Puchberg in a further letter that he had been “obliged” to give away the quartets “for a mere song in order to have cash in hand to meet my present difficulties.” Along with its two companions, K. 590 has been generally regarded by commentators as being less successful than the great set of six “Haydn” quartets composed between 1782 and 1785. Artaria’s advertisement for the “Prussian” quartets describes them as “concertante quartets,” thus paying due recognition to the prominence of their cello parts, which were obviously designed to give Frederick William significance. Yet if the structure is frequently looser than in the more tightly organized “Haydn” quartets, there is much compensation in the skillful manner in which Mozart allows the royal cello discourse with its colleagues, a refinement the composer confessed to finding “troublesome” in execution. The customary four movements are an opening Allegro moderato, an affecting, valedictory Andante, Menuetto, and Allegro finale. From the first movement this piece is filled with aural miracles. Dialogues scurry about and return slightly altered, like double entendres uttered in one of Mozart’s operas. At the movement’s end, the coda restates the development, gracefully winds down, and ends on a witty high note. Mozart never specified whether the second movement is an Allegretto or an Andante.  Alfred Einstein said of it: “It seems to mingle the bliss and sorrow of a farewell to life. How beautiful life has been! How sad! How brief!” The Menuetto is charged with ornamental appoggiaturas and contrary phrases. The finale is packed with wondrous devices, such as unexpected silences and intricate counterpoint. Listen closely in the last bars and you’ll even hear a bagpipe-like drone.

The C-minor Fugue was first composed in December of 1783 for two pianos (K. 426) then re-arranged for strings, with an introductory Adagio, in June 1788 – the prolific summer during which he also penned his last three symphonies. The Adagio alternates a dotted-rhythm reminiscent of a French overture with a more lyrical passage. A French overture normally begins a more extended multi-movement work; in this case, its use serves to establish a period flavor and a sense of occasion. The theme of the Fugue is strongly rhythmic, with little of Mozart’s melodic charm – and yet it has the uniquely Mozartean quality of suggesting a character through gesture and nuance. The “crisis in creative activity” was not for naught.

The Players:
Éder Quartet
János Selmeczi: violin
Péter Szüts violin
Sándor Papp: viola
György Éder: cello

Track List:
01. String Quartet No.20 – Allegretto (8:48)
02. String Quartet No.20 – Menuetto: Allegretto (3:18)
03. String Quartet No.20 – Adagio (8:14)
04. String Quartet No.20 – Allegro (6:51)
05. String Quartet No.23 – Allegro Moderato (8:57)
06. String Quartet No.23 – Andante (Allegretto) (9:04)
07. String Quartet No.23 – Minuetto (3:57)
08. String Quartet No.23 – Allegro (5:06)
09. Adagio And Fughe In C Minor, K.546 – Adagio (4:09)
10. Adagio And Fughe In C Minor, K.546 – Fuga: Allegro(moderato) (3:59)

Stereo, DDD, mp3, 320 kbps, 155,06 Mb, 62:23 minutes. Covers & info included

Part1 —–   Part2

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – String Quartets No.16 & 18

Recorded at the Sashalon Reformed Church, Budapest from 4th to 8th January, 1991.

About these works:
The String Quartet No. 16 in E flat major, K. 428/421b, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This is the third of the Haydn Quartets, a set of six string quartets he wrote during his first few years in Vienna in honor of the composer Joseph Haydn. It is in four movements, with the Minuet third:
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Andante con moto
III. Menuetto & Trio
IV. Allegro vivace
The first movement is highly chromatic, with the chromaticized bridge theme in the exposition being one of several examples, the end of the exposition being another. The slow movement invokes the slow movement of Haydn’s Op. 20 no. 1. The ostentatious dissonances of its opening almost have an antique flavour, caused by the collision of semitonal ascents and descents, and this strongly suggests the opening subject of the first movement, so surprisingly isolated there.” Other commentators hear it as pointing forward to Johannes Brahms.

The String Quartet No. 18 in A major K. 464, the fifth of the Quartets dedicated to Haydn, was completed in 1785[1] Mozart’s autograph catalogue states as the date of composition “1785. / the 10th January”. It is in four movements:
1. Allegro
2. Menuetto and Trio
3. Andante
4. Allegro non troppo
The whole piece is characterized by the use of several different contrapuntal devices. In England”this quartet is known as the Drum because the cello part in variation six [of the Andante] maintains a staccato drum-like motion.” This quartet was the model for Beethoven’s String Quartet in A major, Opus 18 No. 5. Throughout the third movement Mozart “makes use of a pedal point in the bass, thus giving the music an entrancing rustic effect.” The last movement “can best be described as being an abridged rondo form.

The Players:
Éder Quartet
Pál Éder: violin
Erika Tóth: violin
Zóltan Tóth: viola
György Éder: cello

Track List:
1. String Quartet No.18 – Allegro (7:28)
2. String Quartet No.18 – Menuetto (6:39)
3. String Quartet No.18 – Andante (13:10)
4. String Quartet No.18 – Allegro (6:27)
5. String Quartet No.16 – Allegro (7:11)
6. String Quartet No.16 – Andante con molo (9:04)
7. String Quartet No.16 – Menuetto, Allegro (6:14)
8. String Quartet No.16 – Allegro vivace (5:28)

Stereo, DDD, mp3, 320 kbps, 151,86 Mb, 60:47 minutes. Covers & info included

Part1 —–   Part2

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Idomeneo, Re Di Creta + Supplement

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Idomeneo, Re Di Creta

About the opera:
“Idomeneo, Re Di Creta” was first performed at the Cuvilliés Theatre of the Residenz in Munich on January 29, 1781. Written when the composer was 24, Idomeneo was Mozart’s first mature opera seria, and with it he demonstrated his mastery of orchestral color, accompanied recitatives, and melodic line. In certain respects (e.g., the choirs), however, this opera is still an experimental drama, resulting more in a sequence of sets than in a well developed plot. Mozart also had to fight with the mediocre author of the libretto, the court chaplain Varesco, making large cuts and changes, even down to specific words and vowels disliked by the singers (too many “i”s in “rinvigorir”).
Mozart seems to have been aware of Gluck’s reformation operas, this is quite clear here, but still there is a particular shine to Mozart’s work that is really not present in Gluck. And it is this colourful touch for orchestration and working with voices that makes this opera better than any of the Gluck ones, even if it feels at times more archaic in it’s use of secco recitatives.
Gluck was better at making the opera’s movements seamless, Mozart was better at making them spectacular. Look at the Quartet of the last Act for example, or the amazing Choir work. So the libretto isn’t that amazing, but Mozart does the best he can with it, and in the end it is very enjoyable with a lot of catchy arias which are also a bit more “da capo-y” than Gluck’s. So not as revolutionary as Gluck here, but more enjoyable.

Track List:
cd1:
01. Ouverture (4:50)
02. Recitativo – Quando Avran Fine Omai (3:51)
03. No1 Aria – Padre, Germani, Addio! Recitativo – Ecco Idamante, Ahime! (4:12)
04. Recitativo – Radunate I Troiani (3:49)
05. No.2 Aria – Non Ho Colpa (6:43)
06. Recitativo – Ecco Il Misero Resto De’ Troiani (1:02)
07. No.3 Coro – Godiam La Pace (2:24)
08. Recitativo – Prence, Signor, Tutta La Grecia Oltraggi (2:49)
09. Recitativo – Estinto e Idomeneo? (1:49)
10. No.4 Aria – Tutte Nel Cor Vio Sento (3:35)
11. No.5 Coro – Pieta! Numi, Pieta! (1:25)
12. Pantomima E Recitativo – Eccoci Salvi Alfin (3:04)
13. No.6 Aria – Vedrommi Intorno (4:10)
14. Recitativo – Cieli!, Che Veggo? (6:34)
15. No.7 Aria – Il Padre Adorato (2:59)
16. No.8 Marcia (4:13)
17. No.9 Coro – Nettuno S’onori (5:49)
18. Recitativo – Tutto Me Noto (2:36)
19. Recitativo – Se Mai Pomposo Apparse (1:09)
20. No.11 Aria – Se Il Padre Perdei (6:18)
cd2:
01. Recitativo: Qual mi Conturba I Sensi (Idomeneo) (2:27)
02. #12b Aria: Fuor Del Mar (Idomeneo) (6:33)
03. Recitativo: Chi Mai Del Mio Provo (Idomeneo) (1:43)
04. #13 Aria: Idol Mio, se Ritroso (Elettra) (5:23)
05. #14 Marcia e Recitativo: Odo da Lunge (Elettra) (1:19)
06. Recitativo: Sidonie Sponde! (Elettra) (0:52)
07. #15 Coro: Placido e il Mar (4:35)
08. Recitativo: Vattene Prence (Idomeneo, Idamante) (0:29)
09. #16 Terzetto: Pria di Partir, oh Dio! (Idamante, Elettra, Idomeneo) (4:53)
10. #17 Coro: Qual Nuovo Terrore! (2:08)
11. Recitativo: Eccoti in Me, Barbaro Nume! (Idomeneo) (1:59)
12. #18 Coro: Corriamo, Fuggiamo (1:51)
13. ACT III Recitativo: Solitudini Amiche (Ilia) (1:02)
14. #19 Aria: Zaffiretti Lisinghieri (Ilia) (5:52)
15. Recitativo: Principessa, A’tuoi Sguardi (Idamante, Ilia) (4:09)
16. #20a Duetto: S’io Non Moro a Questi Accenti (Idamante, Ilia) (3:36)
17. Recitativo: Cieli! Che Vedo? (Idomeneo, Ilia, Idamante, Elettra) (2:33)
18. #21 Quartetto: Andrò Ramingo e Solo (Idamante, Ilia, Idomeneo, Elettra) (5:32)
19. Recitativo: Sire, Alla Reggia Tua (Arbace, Ilia, Idomeneo, Elettra) (0:33)
20. Recitativo: Sventurata Sidon! (Arbace) (3:41)
21. #23 Recitativo: Volgi Intorno lo Sguardo (Gran Sacerdote, Idomeneo) (4:38)
22. #24 Coro: oh Voto Tremendo! (Popolo, Gran Sacerdote) (5:24)
23. #25 Marcia (2:04)
cd3:
01. #26 Cavatina With Choir- Accogli, oh re Del Mar (3:51)
02. #26 Choir And Recitative- Qual Risuona Qui Intorno (1:15)
03. #27 Recitative- Padre, Nio Caro Padre (5:38)
04. #27 Recitative- Ferma, Oho Sire, Che Fai? (1:14)
05. #28d La Voce- ha Vinto Amore (2:40)
06. #29 Recitative- Oh Ciel Pietoso! (1:21)
07. #29a Aria- D’oreste, D’aiace (3:29)
08. #30 Recitative- Popoli, a Voi L’ultima Legge (6:36)
09. #30a Aria- Torna la Pace al Core (7:50)
10. #31 Choir- Scenda Amor, Scenda Imeneo (4:27)
11. App#8a Ballo Delle Donne Cretesi (2:35)
12. App#10a Aria- Se il Tuo Duol (5:16)
13. App#22 Aria- Se Cola Ne’fati e Scritto (8:18)
14. App#22 Recitative- Deh Vibra un Colpo (1:55)
15. App#27a Aria- No, la Morte io Non Pavento (5:06)
16. App#32 Ballet K367 Chaconne- Allegro (4:10)
17. Largetto (3:03)
18. Allegro (2:52)
19. Largo – Allegretto – Piu Allegro (4:31)

The Players:

Stereo, ADD, mp3, 320 kbps, 2 hours 42 minutes. Covers, info & synopsis included.

Part1 — Part2 — Part3 — Part4 — Part5 — Part6

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Idomeneo, Re Di Creta. Suplement

Recorded at the Neue Kirche Albisrieden, Zürich, March-June 1980

About this suplement:
Usual recordings of”Idomeneo, Re Di Creta” don’t include the numbers that Mozart dleteted in the course of the preparations for the première of the work in Munich, nor, of course, those passages that Mozart subsequently rewrote for the Vienna performance in 1786. As Harnoncourt wrote “since all the pieces omitted in Munich are wonderful music, we intend to record them too and to publish them on a supplementary disc, so that all the mujsic Mozart composed for “Idomeneo” is accessible in one interpretation”.

Track List:
1. No. 27a Aria “No, la morte” (5:38)
2. No. 20b Duetto “Spiegarti non poss’io” (3:50)
3. Recitativo “Non più, Tutto ascoltai” (3:36)
4. Rondo “Non temer amato bene” (7:37)
5. No. 29 Recitativo “Oh smania!” (3:12)
6. No. 29a Aria “D’Oreste, d’aiace” (3:50)
7. No. 30a Aria “Torna la pace” (7:31)
8. Gavotte (3:15)

The Players:

Stereo, DDD, mp3, 320 kbps, 38:29 minutes. Covers & info included.

Here

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – The Complete Masonic Music

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – The Complete Masonic Music

About the work:
Mozart was admitted as an apprentice to the Viennese Masonic lodge called “Zur Wohltätigkeit” (“Beneficence”) on 14 December 1784. He was promoted to journeyman Mason on 7 January 1785, and became a master Mason “shortly thereafter”.
Mozart’s position within the Masonic movement, according to Maynard Solomon, lay with the rationalist, Enlightenment-inspired membership, as opposed to those members oriented toward mysticism and the occult. This rationalist faction is identified by Katherine Thomson as the Illuminati, a masonically inspired group which was founded by Bavarian professor of canon law Adam Weishaupt, who was also a friend of Mozart’s. The Illuminati espoused the enlightened, humanist views proposed by the French philosophers Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Denis Diderot. For example, the Illuminati contended that social rank was not coincident with nobility of the spirit, but that people of lowly class could be noble in spirit just as nobly born could be mean-spirited. This view appears in Mozart’s operas; for example, in The Marriage of Figaro, an opera based on a play by Pierre Beaumarchais (another Freemason), the lowly-born Figaro is the hero and the Count Almaviva is the boor.
The Freemasons used music in their ceremonies, and adopted Rousseau’s humanist views on the meaning of music. “The purpose of music in the {Masonic} ceremonies is to spread good thoughts and unity among the members” so that they may “united in the idea of innocence and joy,” wrote L.F. Lenz in a contemporary edition of Masonic songs. Music should “inculcate feelings of humanity, wisdom and patience, virtue and honesty, loyalty to friends, and finally an understanding of freedom.” These views suggest a musical style quite unlike the style of the Galant, which was dominant at the time. Galant style music was typically melodic with harmonic accompaniment, rather than polyphonic; and the melodic line was often richly ornamented with trills, runs and other virtuosic effects. The style promoted by the Masonic view was much less virtuosic and unornamented. Mozart’s style of composition is often referred to as “humanist” and is in accord with this Masonic view of music.

The Artists:
Choir & Orchestra of the Vienna Volskoper
Peter Mag: conductor
Kurt Equiluz: tenor
Kurt Rapf: piano & organ

Track List:

ADD, Stereo, MP3 , 320 kbps (CBR), 371.64 Mb, 105:15 minutes. Covers & info included.

Part1 —–  Part2 —–   Part3

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Ascanio In Alba

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Ascanio In Alba
Recorded in Paris between 16th and 24th of September, 1990

About the Opera:
Ascanio in Alba, KV 111, is an Italian pastoral opera in two acts written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1771, Based on the play by Count Claudio Nicolo Stampa with libretto by Giuseppe Parini. Mozart was 15 years old when this opera was first performed in Milan at the Teatro Regio Ducal on October 17, 1771.

Track List:
cd1
01. Overture (3:38)
02. Act 1, Scene 1 – Andante grazioso, che ballano le Grazie (1:24)
03. Act 1, Scene 1 – Coro de geni e grazie: Di te più amabile (2:21)
04. Act 1, Scene 1 – Recitativo: Geni, grazie ed amori (2:42)
05. Act 1, Scene 1 – Aria: L’ombre de’rami tuoi (4:49)
06. Act 1, Scene 1 – Recitativo: Ma la ninfa gentil (4:47)
07. Act 1, Scene 1 – Coro di geni e grazie: Di te più amabile (1:20)
08. Act 1, Scene 2 – Recitativo: Perchè tacer degg’io? (4:53)
09. Act 1, Scene 2 – Aria: Cara, lontano ancora (4:56)
10. Act 1, Scene 3 – Coro di pastori: Venga, de’sommi eroi (1:34)
11. Act 1, Scene 3 – Recitativo: Ma qual canto risona? (1:11)
12. Act 1, Scene 3 – Coro di pastori: Venga, de’sommi eroi (1:29)
13. Act 1, Scene 3 – Recitativo: Ma tu, chi sei (1:52)
14. Act 1, Scene 3 – Aria: Se il labbro più non dice (3:31)
15. Act 1, Scene 3 – Recitativo: Quanto soavi al core (1:54)
16. Act 1, Scene 4 – Coro di pastori e pastorello o ninfo, e ballo: Hai de Diana il core (3:58)
17. Act 1, Scene 4 – Recitativo: Oh generosa Diva (0:49)
18. Act 1, Scene 4 – Coro de pastori: Venga, de sommi eroi (1:35)
19. Act 1, Scene 4 – Recitativo: Di propria man la Dea (0:59)
20. Act 1, Scene 4 – Coro de pastori: Venga, de’sommi eroi (1:31)
21. Act 1, Scene 4 – Recitativo: Oh mia gloria (0:32)
22. Act 1, Scene 4 – Aria: Per la gioia in questo seno (5:06)
23. Act 1, Scene 4 – Recitativo: Misera! che farò? (2:27)
24. Act 1, Scene 4 – Cavatina: Si, ma d’un altro amore (2:15)
25. Act 1, Scene 4 – Recitativo: Ah no, Silvia t’inganni (3:28)
26. Act 1, Scene 4 – Aria: Come è felice stato (4:19)
27. Act 1, Scene 4 – Recitativo: Silvia, mira, che il sole (1:08)
28. Act 1, Scene 4 – Coro di pastori: Venga, venga, de’sommi eroi (1:33)
29. Act 1, Scene 5 – Recitativo: Cielo! che vidi mai? (1:02)
30. Act 1, Scene 5 – Aria: Ah di sì nobil alma (4:09)
31. Act 1, Scene 5 – Recitativo: Un’altra prova (1:46)
cd2
01. Aria: Al chiaror di que’bei rai (3:50)
02. Coro di geni e grazie: Di te più amabile (1:30)
03. Recitativo: Star lontana non so (1:45)
04. Aria: Spiega il desio, le piume (7:14)
05. Coro di pastorelle: Già l’ore sen volano (1:27)
06. Recitativo: Cerco di loco in loco (8:36)
07. Aria: Dal tuo gentil sembiante (10:35)
08. Recitativo: Ahimè! Che veggio mai? (0:58)
09. Aria: Al mio ben mi veggio avanti (4:22)
10. Recitativo: Ferma, aspetta (3:48)
11. Aria: Infelici affetti miei (4:42)
12. Recitativo: Anima grande (0:15)
13. Coro di pastorell: Che strano evento (0:27)
14. Recitativo: Ahi la crudel come scoccato dardo (0:51)
15. Aira: Torna mio bene, ascolta (3:49)
16. Coro di pastori: Venga, venga, de’sommi eroi (1:36)
17. Recitativo: Che strana meraviglia (0:33)
18. Aria: Sento, che il cor mi dice (4:21)
19. Recitativo: Si, padre (0:31)
20. Coro di pastori, e ninfe o pastorelle: Scendi celeste Venere (1:20)
21. Recitativo: Ma s’allontani almen (1:03)
22. Coro di pastori e pastorelle: No, non possiamo vivere (1:19)
23. Recitativo: Ecco, ingombran l’altare (0:15)
24. Coro do pastori, e ninfe o pastorelle: Scendi celeste Venere (1:18)
25. Recitativo: Invoca, o figlia (1:08)
26. Terzetto: Ah caro sposo, oh dio! (5:00)
27. Recitativo: Eccovi al fin (1:46)
28. Piccola pate del terzetto precedente: Che bel piacer io sento (1:33)
29. Recitativo: Ah chi nodi più forti (1:38)
30. Coro ultimo di geni ,grazie ,pastori e ninfe: Alma Dea, tutto il mondo governa (1:34)

The Artists:

mp3, 320 kbps, cd ripping, 2 hours 38 minutes
Covers, info & synopsis included.

Part1 —–  Part2 —–  Part3 —–  Part4

G.F. Händel & W.A. Mozart – Acis Und Galatea

G.F. Händel & W.A. Mozart – Acis Und Galatea

About the Opera:
Acis and Galatea (HWV 49) was originally a masque composed by George Frideric Händel. He first composed this piece while he was living at Cannons (the seat of James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos) during the summer of 1718. It is set to a libretto by John Gay, Alexander Pope, and John Hughes, who borrowed freely from John Dryden’s English translation of Ovid published in 1717, The Story of Acis, Polyphemus and Galatea. In 1732 Händel revised and expanded it to three acts and presented the work in London as an ode. It is not clear whether the original performance was staged, semi-staged, or performed as a concert work. The single voice per part allotted to the chorus links the work with the contemporary Italian serenata. The libretto is based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, xiii (see Acis and Galatea). It was first published in 1722, and went through a number of revisions before finally becoming the two-act work which is generally performed today. It had a number of revivals in various forms and was Händel’s most widely performed dramatic work during his lifetime. Händel is often noted for his recycling of old material in new works; however, for a work based on a text which he had previously set (his outdoor cantata, or serenata: Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, 1708), there is surprisingly little taken from the earlier work. Borrowings include the aria “As when the dove,” a reworking of “Amo Tirsi” from the cantata Clori, Tirsi e Fileno and, in the 1732 version, “Un sospiretto” and “Come la rondinella” from the same source. Perhaps the best-known arias from this piece are the bass solo: “I rage, I melt, I burn” and the tenor aria “Love in her eyes sits playing”. In 1788, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart rescored the work for his then-patron Baron Gottfried van Swieten.

Track List:
cd1
1. Overtüre (3:18)
2. Chor, Galatea) (5:34)
3. Recitativo Accompagnato ed Aria(Galatea) (6:48)
4. Aria( Acis) (3:51)
5. Recitativo ed Aria(Damon) (5:23)
6. Recitativo ed Aria(Acis) (7:27)
7. Recitativo ed Aria(Galatea) (6:11)
8. Duetto(Galatea, Acis) (2:47)
9. Chor(‘Wohl Uns’) (1:03)
cd2
01. Larghetto (5:46)
02. Largo (1:19)
03. Coro: Arme Hirten! (4:45)
04. Recitativo accompagnatao ed Aria (Polyphem) (4:39)
05. Recitativo accompagnato ed Aria (Polyphem, Galatea) (6:31)
06. Aria (Damon) (5:11)
07. Recitativo ed Aria (Acis) (5:35)
08. Aria (Damon) (6:21)
09. Recitativo e Terzertto (2:39)
10. Recitatico accompagnato e Coro, Solo e Coro (11:00)
11. Recitativo ed Aria (galatea) (4:37)
12. Coro: Galatea, klag nicht mehr (2:47)

The Artists:

mp3, 320 kbps, cd ripping, 103:32 minutes
Covers, info & synopsis included.

Part1 —–   Part2 —–   Part3