Mozart: Così fan tutte, K588: Overture

Andrea Marcon and his terrific ensemble, La Cetra, approach Mozart à la Baroque − vigorously, colourfully, and with acute awareness of the sound world the composer was born into but changed forever. These overtures are gems of melodic inspiration, ingenious orchestration, and sheer zest that stand on their own.

Guild Historical starts the New Year 2012 with an issue of the greatest importance to admirers of the finest conductors of the past. Here we have six performances conducted by the incomparable German master Fritz Busch during his time as conductor in Stockholm, including an exceptionally rare account of the Alban Berg Violin Concerto, in which the soloist is the violinist who gave the world premiere and who later made the first ever commercial recording of the work. This is a true collector's item, and we also include Hindemith's brilliant Symphonic Metamorphoses on themes by Carl Maria von Weber - a true 'orchestral showpiece' if ever there was one - and quite dazzlingly performed under Busch, who knew the composer very well indeed. Also included is the Overture to Mozart's 'Cosi fan tutte', and three other rarely-heard gems: a movement from Lars-Erik Larsson's Second Symphony, an orchestration by Busch himself of a wonderful organ piece by Max Reger and an overture by Franz Berwald. All-in-all, this is a wholly exceptional disc of major significance.

The nine large-scale Concert Arias for Baritone and Orchestra by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart date for the most part from the composer’s last creative period.

Mozart’s operas are part of our cultural heritage. Everyone knows, more or less consciously, the most famous arias, which are even available as ringtones for mobile phones! Mozart can make us laugh, dream, ponder or weep, with the brilliance and variety of Homer or Shakespeare, and with emotions constantly on a knife-edge. From The Magic Flute to Don Giovanni, from arias to overtures, here is an ideal anthology of Mozart opera.

The new CD produced in close collaboration with the BrüderBuschArchive at the Max-Reger-Institut Karlsruhe collects all of Fritz Busch's recordings made in London in the 1930s. Busch supplies renderings of Richard Strauss's Don Juan and Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche that have retained their charm and vivacity to this very day, Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche being a CD premiere. The second half of the CD features Mozart conducted by one of the foremost Mozartians of his times and the founder-conductor of the Glyndebourne Opera Festival, where the rightly famous recordings of the Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte and Le nozze di Figaro overtures were recorded in 1935/6.

Naïve continues its collaboration with renowned conductor, Rinaldo Alessandrini, which sees him lead the Norwegian National Opera Orchestra in an exciting release featuring the overtures from Mozart’s greatest operas.

This is in fact Alessandrini’s first recording with an orchestra playing on modern instruments and resulted from Alessandrini’s position as Principal Guest conductor of the Norwegian National Opera that he’s held since 2005. He chose this repertoire as during his years in this position, it was the sublime music of Mozart that the Orchestra responded to best.

A virtuoso on the harpsichord, organ and fortepiano, and the founder and conductor of Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini is considered a major force in today’s international early music scene. He and his group have created new standards of excellence in the performance of 17th and 18th century Italian vocal music. Alessandrini’s desire to re-conquer the long-neglected madrigal repertory of the early seventeenth century led to the founding of the Concerto Italiano vocal ensemble. Norwegian National Opera Orchestra is one of Northern Europe’s oldest orchestras, dating back to 1827.