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

“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

“...a performance [of the Clarinet Concerto] that is operatic in all seriousness – grand in scale and moodily intense. Da Càsola wrings huge emotions from it, while Boyd is very much his equal in seeing the work in terms of high drama...The orchestral sound is unfashionably full, but the playing is consistently fine.” The Guardian, 8th July 2010 ***

“[Di Casola's] brilliant tone and mellifluous technique are allied to immaculate musical instincts: he catches the mood shifts of the opening allegro...and the sublime adagio sounds like an aria without words, “sung” with inexhaustible reserves of breath, astounding dynamic spectrum and palette of colour...An unforgettable performance.” Sunday Times, 11th July 2010 *****

“Fabio Di Càsola manages to convey, in the gorgeous 2nd movement Adagio, something of the character of the lower-register basset clarinet for which the concerto was apparently written.” The Independent, 30th July 2010 ****

“It is an attractive performance, avoiding the Romantic indulgences which have been retrospectively wished upon this late masterpiece, and making it thereby the more moving and affecting.” International Record Review, October 2010

“In the serene outer sections of the Adagio he spins the purest, most liquid of lines. But I can't recall a more urgent and impassioned performance of the first movement, or one that draws on a bolder palette of colours...Douglas Boyd draws finely detailed playing from the excellent Winterthur band” Gramophone Magazine, December 2010

"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