Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood :: Mozart: The Symphonies (Nos 1-41, plus 27 other symphonic works) /AAM * Schroder * Hogwood

Fiery Precision

carlca | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | 12/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Typical for this ensemble, it doesn't get any better than this. these players clearly show their love for this music. They exhibit their hearts, souls and minds by making music that is crisp and exiting. They have a wonderful precision, yet they manage to bring out the real fire present in all of Mozart's symphonies, (even the earliest). And they manage to maintain this high quality consistently through ALL of those 40+ symphonies, (as they indeed do with all the composers I've heard them tackle, including Haydn and Beethoven). And, as if that weren't enough, they make a wondrous thing even better by taking ALL of Mozart's REPEATS!Also--this single-box packaging and pricing is unbelievable.... One additional note: If you are generally turned off by "original instruments" groups, please know that they come in all qualities, good and bad--and that this is one of the very best, so give it a try!Yes, I'm empassioned. I've been listeing to this set for 16 years, and, while I own and greatly enjoy other performances of these works, I always have to come back to these."

A milestone set, and worthy of all praise

R. Lane | Tracy, CA USA | 04/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the 1970s, the Hungarian conductor Antal Dorati recorded all of the 104 symphonies of Franz Joseph Haydn (Amazon asin # B0000042DP). The era of "epic" integral collections was ignited. Many thought the vast majority of Haydn's symphonies would be boring, cookie-cutter works rolled out in almost assembly-line fashion. But Dorati, with excellent help from the Haydn scholar H. C. Robbins Landon, would disprove all of that, and show that there is not a dud in the whole collection. And Dorati's readings have stood the test of time.Dorati's achievement marked the beginning of an ea that in the next 2 decades would see complete integral sets of the works of every major composer, culminating ultimately in the 1980s with Phiips complete Mozart Edition. Shortly after Dorati finished his massive project, the Academy of Ancient Music embarked on a complete traversal of all of the "symphonies" of Mozart on period instruments, the currently reviewed item. Not just the traditional 41, but also many lesser know works. More fascinating music was unearthed. But, the milestone of this set is not the discovery of forgotten masterpieces. That had become a common daily occurence. It was the period instrument movement instead that was set free by Hogwood's achievement. With this project, Hogwood did for period instruments what Dorati did for integral cycles of lesser known works. The period instrument movement had been around for a long time. But it never quite could hit "mainstream" until Hogwood made these recordings. And ever since, period instruments have flourished.There are better recordings of many of the works in this set, both on period instruments and conventional instruments. But the consistency that runs through the set brings an appreciation for Mozart's Symphonies that is unparallelled. The set is competitively priced, the sound is very good throughout, there is decent documentation."

Excellent cycle, but Pinnock's is better.

Ryan Kouroukis | 09/30/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"4 stars for a fine performance on authentic instruments by Hogwood/AAM, but for me 5 stars goes to Pinnock/English Concert for its superior sound. Hogwood's analog recordings were made in the 80's when not quite all the sound bugs from authentic instruments had been worked out. Pinnock's digital recordings from the 90's offer a warmer, brighter sound. However, less is offerred...48 symphonies on 11 CD's, all the essential Mozart symphonies one could hope for (and at a lower cost of $80 as opposed to $150). So unless all 72 selections offerred here on 19 CD's are important to you, I would recommend going with Pinnock."