07-13-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree Paul S San Diego, California, USA Posts 2,656 Joined on 10-12-2006 Post #: 1 Post ID: 7818 Reply to: 7818 Mozart Concertos; Clarinet K 622 and Bassoon K 191 Well, there's "Mozart", and then there's Mozart... Leopold Emmer conducts the Vienna Pro Musica Orchestra; Vox PL 8870, 1954 Rudolf Jettel plays the clarinet for the A Major Concerto.  He has all the skill and control to get every note in every register, and he shifts registers like most player do notes.  This is a good thing, because the peice pretty much demands this skill as a starting point.  Fortunately, Jettel is also an artist, and Emmer gets it done with depth, power and flair while Jettel makes you glad that Mozart continued with this sort of work well into his maturity. Bravo. Leo Cermak actually makes the bassoon musical (if not "dynamic"), and the early work (B flat major; composed by Mozart at 18 years) is as well realized as I have ever heard one of these pieces done.  Very nice, and well worth listening to. I don't know Emmer at all, but I wish he and the Pro Musica were here in San Diego for the local "Mainly Mozart Festival", which I make an annual point of avoiding. BTW, this is a very nice recording, as well.  It works better in "mono", unlike some of the later stuff that is "bi-naural" and sounds better in "stereo". Paul S

07-13-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree Romy the Cat Boston, MA Posts 10,155 Joined on 05-28-2004 Post #: 2 Post ID: 7820 Reply to: 7818 The Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto. I am not familiar with Leo Cermak. There were famous Toscanini and Beecham take on this work but my all time favorite is Karl Bobm from 1974. With Daietmar Zeman plays the fagott. It come with wondering early DG “Originals” mastering with equally wonderful attempts on Clarinet and Flute concertos – in my view – this is a must have disk. The caT "I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche

08-14-2008 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree JANDL100 Forest of Dean, UK Posts 71 Joined on 09-27-2007 Post #: 3 Post ID: 8039 Reply to: 7820 Nice tip, Romy, and an unusual CD to try ... Thanks for the recommendation, Romy, I've just ordered the Bohm disc from Amazon Market Place - less than £3 delivered! A Mozart clarinet concerto recording that is unusual and worth looking out for is by the Managing Director (CEO) of the Musical Fidelity hifi equipment company, Anthony Michaelson.   Yes, he's an amateur clarinetist, but the joy he finds in playing the piece is very well communicated and contagious.    I've heard that at the end of the recording session, he was seen wandering around the studio muttering "I DID it, I DID it !!".  Clearly a labour of love.  It was issued by Musical Fidelity as MF018.   Sure, there are other and probably better played recordings (I like de Peyer, for example) but Michaelson's is one that I treasure. Jerry