An album of lively waltzes and other dance music, consummately performed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Concentus Musicus Wien.
With rarely-heard dance pieces by Mozart, Lanner, and Johann Strauss I.
On his new album, Walzer Revolution, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Concentus Musicus Wien turn their attention to a selection of dances by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Josef Lanner and Johann Strauss the Elder himself, in order to give it a new interpretation in the spirit intended by the composers.
Harnoncourt, who more than any other conductor of our time represents a revolution in the way works are performed and in the reception of music, traces the line from the dances of Mozart to 19th-century dances that were profoundly characteristic of the society of that time.
Thanks to his typical practice of performing the works in a historical manner, he succeeds in making this dance music an authentic listening experience that is constantly denied to us by the usual modern orchestration. The purpose of the resulting album is not only to convey the true joy of listening but also to narrate music history.
Mozart: Kontretanz KV 603, Nr. 1
Kontretanz KV 603, Nr. 1
Mozart: Kontretanz KV 609, Nr. 1
Kontretanz KV 609, Nr. 1
Mozart: Kontretanz in C, KV 609, Nr. 4
Kontretanz in C, KV 609, Nr. 4
Mozart: Sechs Deutsche Tänze KV 571
Deutscher Tanz Nr. 1 in D
Deutscher Tanz Nr. 2 in A
Deutscher Tanz Nr. 3 in C
Deutscher Tanz Nr. 4 in G
Deutscher Tanz Nr. 5 in B-flat
Deutscher Tanz Nr. 6 in D
Strauss, J, I: Radetzky-Marsch, Op. 228
Radetzky-Marsch, Op. 228 (Urfassung)
Strauss, J, I: Erste Kettenbrücke-Walzer, Op. 4
Erste Kettenbrücke-Walzer, Op. 4
Strauss, J, I: Schäfer-Quadrille, Op. 217
Schäfer-Quadrille, Op. 217
Strauss, J, I: Der Carneval in Paris, Galopp, Op. 100
Der Carneval in Paris, Galopp, Op. 100
Strauss, J, I: Walzer a la Paganini, Op. 11
Walzer a la Paganini, Op. 11
Lanner: Pas de neuf nach Saverio Mercadante, WoO
Pas de neuf nach Saverio Mercadante, WoO
Lanner: Sehnsuchts-Mazur, Op. 89
Sehnsuchts-Mazur, Op. 89
Lanner: Hans Jörgel-Polka, Op. 194
Hans Jörgel-Polka, Op. 194
Lanner: Malapou-Galopp, Op. 148a
Malapou-Galopp, Op. 148a
Lanner: Hexentanzwalzer, Op. 203
Hexentanzwalzer, Op. 203
Lanner: Marsch (from the ballet Corso Donati)
Marsch (from the ballet Corso Donati)
Lanner: Cerrito-Polka, Op. 189
Cerrito-Polka, Op. 189
Lanner: Jagd-Galopp, Op. 82
Jagd-Galopp, Op. 82
Lanner: Die Schönbrunner, Walzer, Op. 200
Die Schönbrunner, Walzer, Op. 200
18th March 2012
“With his “waltz revolution”, Harnoncourt and his period CMW band throw down a gauntlet to the established Philharmonic professors, arguing for more transparent textures and a wider range of wind and brass colours than those available to modern orchestras...A delicious pair of discs.”
31st March 2012
*****
“Two CDs of pure joy, and full of fine scholarship as well...The performances are sinuous yet nuanced, the pacing just sedate enough to reveal fascinating detail and the revelations — Strauss’s Chain Bridge Waltz and an early version of the Radetzky March — startling and delightful.”
22nd April 2012
“The orchestra's period instruments (including 10 different types of trumpet) and Harnoncourt's distinctive use of rubato lend novelty to New Year's classics such as the Radetzky March. But it is Lanner's flourishes of the gothic, operatic and exotic that really catch the ear.”
May 2012
“This is fun! Instructive, too, as Nikolaus Harnoncourt once again strips away centuries of 'tradition' and goes back to basics...Harnoncourt and his players bring both 'rough trade' and many an insight into what makes this music tick...Harnoncourt plays it seriously and with respect while relishing its creative place in Viennese society and appreciating the music's balance between sophistication and amusement.”
July 2012
“The collection succeeds, though, not just in pioneering period performances but also through imaginative programming...One way and another it's a collection that demands the attention of anyone who thinks he knows how Viennese music should sound.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
Kontretanz KV 603, Nr. 1
