Search - Mozart, Steinberg, Davis :: Mozart: Symphony 40 / Eine kleine Nachtmusik / Serenata Notturna / 4 Overtures / Steinberg / C. Davis

Great sound and playing at a budget price!

Alan Majeska | Bad Axe, MI, USA | 09/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"William Steinberg's Pittsburgh Symphony recordings have been largely ignored by the record industry in recent years. He recorded all 9 Beethoven and 4 Brahms Symphonies for Command Classics in the 1960s, later released on MCA CDs in the late 1980s. For EMI, Steinberg/Pittsburgh recorded Beethoven Symphonies 7,8; Brahms 1; Mozart 35,40,41; Haydn 94. This is great, very masculine Mozart, in fast tempos that are never out of control, and beautifully recorded by EMI's engineers. Tempos are faster than Bruno Walter's Columbia recordings

(CBS, made in the late 1950s, near the end of his career) and slower than Szell/Cleveland (Sony Classical) for a point of reference.



Both Mozart's Symphony 40 and "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" benefit from Steinberg's full throated treatment.



Sir Colin Davis' early 1960s recordings of "Serenata Notturna" and Overtures to "Abduction from the Seraglio," "The Magic Flute," "Don Giovanni" and "Cosi fan Tutte" are in excellent sound, the Philharmonia (Serenata) and Royal Philharmonic (Overtures) sounding terrific, again rich, full and masculine, as in Steinberg's recordings.



With over 70 minutes of music, this disc is a winner, unless you are a fan of chamber orchestra or period instrument orchestra Mozart. For great sound and playing at a budget price, this is hard to beat."

Great music

Melissa M. Knight | centralia, WA United States | 12/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I generally don't listen to classical music, but I like this CD. I guess Mozart has survived all these years for a reason! It's very uplifting to have on in the background. I've heard most of the music before, but usually in cheesy comercials. Sad. This is really beautiful music."