Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Eugene Ormandy, Philippe Entremont :: Mozart: Symphony Nos. 29, 30 & 31

More Masterful Mozart

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 02/19/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sony Essential Classics is my favorite classical music line. Great performances by great conductors and orchestras all at budget prices. How can you go wrong? Well, you can't! This disc of three mid-Mozart symphonies is no different. While Mozart's last two symphonies (Nos. 40 & 41) are his most popular, these three (Nos. 29-31) are equally delightful and masterful. The Philadelphia Orchestra, under the direction of Eugene Ormandy, performs the 30th (4/8/62) and the 31st (1/29/61), while the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of pianist Philippe Entremont, handles the 29th (11/23-24/76). It was at first surprising to me to see Ormandy and Entremont together on this disc as conductors. Of course, these men have performed together before as conductor and pianist respectively, most notably on a magical recording of Rachmaninov's Piano Concertos 1 & 4 (see my review). Ormandy didn't conduct a lot of Mozart, and I don't have much of Entremont conducting period, but any fears should be put to rest, as all performances are in top form with excellent sound, and the conductors' understanding of the material is never in doubt. Mozart fans will thoroughly enjoy this CD."