Mozart: Sinfonia concertante in E flat for Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon & Orchestra, K297b (K. Anh. 14.01)

"I've never heard a performance that made me smile as much as this...a wholly delightful disc that reawakened my appetite for music I thought I'd heard once or twice too often." (Gramophone)

“…Mozart created a sensation with his new symphony… and I don’t know of any recording that catches its proud swagger and sonorous richness as vividly as this new one. The outer movements have a thrilling bravado, with the period instruments imparting a revelatory brilliance and pungency to the tuttis... The slighter Flute and Harp Concerto gets a gentle, chamber-musical performance full of witty and elegant details of timing and ornamentation. ...a wholly delightful disc that reawakened my appetite for music I thought I'd heard once or twice too often.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2006

“There have never been any doubts about these performances. The horn playing in the Sinfoniaconcertante is unsurpassable and in the quintets Gieseking's lightness and his clarity and sense of style is simply beyond praise. The tempos are on the slow side in the first movement of the Mozart and the finale of the Beethoven but somehow with Gieseking, slow tempos have a way of seeming to be just about right. Richard Osborne's excellent notes quote a letter from Sidney Sutcliffe of touching modesty. Speaking of their run-through of the Mozart, he says, 'On reaching the Allegro moderato, the great man played two bars at an absolutely perfect tempo and then stopped and asked in the most gentle and hesitant manner, “Will that be all right for you?” So it was a most happy occasion although I found it a grave responsibility matching the artistry of my colleagues when Bernard [Walton], Cecil [James] and Dennis [Brain] were producing sounds of breath-taking beauty.' Breathtaking is the right word for all concerned here on one of the great chamber music records of the LP era. Considerable pains have been taken with the transfers, which now sound fresh and full bodied. Thoroughly recommended.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Abbado's supreme affinity for Mozart ensures that these are some of the most satisfying and energising performances you will ever hear.” bbc.co.uk, 14th December 2011

“With soloists from his own Orchestra Mozart, Claudio Abbado here demonstrates formidably their virtuosity and sensitivity...The interweaving of soloists is a delight, with Letizia Belmondo on the harp. They are well balanced against the orchestra, so that the glorious melody in the slow movement comes out ravishingly...their crisp precision of ensemble speaks for itself.” Gramophone Magazine, March 2012

“The present Mozart performances fulfill and even surpass my expectations. The rhythmic ensemble of the four soloists is well-nigh perfect, yet Abbado somehow 'wills' them into not making the works sound too effortless, so that their musical tension is maintained...DG, maestro Abbado and Orchestra Mozart, please continue!” International Record Review, February 2012