Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Michael Thompson :: Mozart: Complete Works for Horn & Orchestra

A tone to reduce you to melted chocolate

Kathy Williams | Australia | 02/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have had the priviledge of hearing Michael Tbompson play live, and of working with him for a couple of weeks, and to my complete delight, have found that the translation to CD loses nothing of the magic of a live performance. Thompson has the most amazing horn sound I have ever heard, and makes horn playing itself seen devilishly easy. One is amazing at his deftness, especially in the leaps and runs. His direction of the orchestra is sublime, and his communication is made easier through the fact that he does not have to go through a conductor. My favourite tracks would have to be all the slow movements, plus the final track, with is haunting melody introduced by Strussmayer after Mozart's death. Even if you are not a horn fan, I strongly you suggest buying this CD, as well as anything else Thompson has put out, and I can guarantee you won't be disappointed."

Fascinating Scholarship, Fine Musicianship

Kathy Williams | 03/29/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Excellent though these performances are, what makes this disc a must-have for Mozartians and fanciers of the horn alike are the fascinating addenda that musicologist John Humphries makes to the canon of Mozart's music for horn and orchestra. Working from manuscripts that have come to light as recently as 1989, Humphries has reconstructed fragments and edited other extant works so that whole new Mozart pages emerge. The first movement fragment (K. 370b) and rondeau (K. 371), projected as Mozart's uncompleted first concerto, have the polish and authenticity that good scholarship and talent can bring to works that always seemed, to me, shy of the Mozartian mark. And then there is Humphries' reconstruction of the last movement of Mozart's so-called Concerto No. 1, K. 412. Here, the orchestra is given more to do, and in a more playful and virtuosic manner, than in the traditional completion by Franz Xaver Sussmayr.What about the playing? First, though Michael Thompson is not as aggresive as some hornists you will hear in this music, his tone is beautifully mellow, and he plays this tough music as if his ax were as easy to key as a clarinet. Runs tumble effortlessly from his instrument. His colorful, dramatic, yet burnished performance of the cadenzas is certainly something to hear. As conductor, he seems as much in his element as he is when soloing. In all, these pieces are beautifully characterized by Thompson and his fine little band of players. This is what paid reviewers call a self-recommending disc."

Mozart Complete Horns works & Orchestra

Anne Metzger | hartford CT | 01/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"We heard a part of this played at the symphony, it was just beautiful to listen to. The entire recording is fabulous and I like this English edition done in 1995 very much."