Mozart was brought up at the court of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, and the music of the Roman Catholic liturgy was central to his early experience. Salzburg had its own ecclesiastical musical traditions, dating back well into the seventeenth century with such men as Andreas Hofer, Heinrich Biber and Georg Muffat; more immediately relevant to […]

Gervase de Peyer was one of the leading clarinet players in the 1960s, making several recordings as both soloist and chamber-music player for L’Oiseau-Lyre. Three of his most critically-acclaimed recordings – concertos by Mozart, Weber and Spohr – are offered here, all performed with the London Symphony Orchestra.

This must surely be a unique event in recording history! In 1959, Arthur Grumiaux went into the studios to overdub – as both violinist and pianist – the Mozart and Brahms Violin Sonatas on this recording. A bold venture of its kind in instrumental classical music and on two such different instruments, the recording has […]

Peter Maag’s celebrated recording of the Mozart ‘Prague’ Symphony (widely requested for reissue, internationally), now presented in a stunning remaster from the original tapes, leads into a program of Mozart rarities – the Overture to ‘Lucio Silla’ (itself in the shape of a miniature symphony), the imposing ‘Thamos’ interludes and then a charming selection of […]

A thrilling collection of Overtures and Preludes (with some popular orchestral pieces thrown in for good measure) from Zubin Mehta. As a showman of the best variety, his recordings remain one of the Decca catalogue’s richest legacies with more than half of this collection released on CD for the first time.

Quartetto Italiano made critically-acclaimed recordings of the complete string quartets of Mozart and Haydn. The group recorded almost exclusively for Philips Classics, leaving a legacy admired for its insight and technical brilliance. Two of Haydn’s and one of Mozart’s nicknamed compositions are here offered as a single album.

Newly mastered from the original tapes and released on Decca for the first time, this Maag release couples the familiar ‘Posthorn Serenade’ with the lesser known D major, KV 203.

Barry Tuckwell has recorded the Mozart Horn Concertos several times as soloist and soloist/conductor. The first and third of the Horn Concertos marked his recording debut and in notes he has written for this CD – a stunning new remaster from original tapes, catching the spatial depth of Kingsway Hall and the mellowness yet clarity […]

Some of Mozart’s lesser known symphonies are integrated for this Mozart/Maag release with mono recordings of Nos. 28, 29, 34 (among the earliest of Maag’s Decca recordings) coupled with stereo recordings of Symphony No. 32 and the delectable ‘Serenata Notturna’. Everywhere, style, finesse and charm are evident in these performances.

Rich and ripe readings of Mozart’s two piano quartets from Georg Solti and the Melos Quartett, in which the conductor takes time off from his podium duties to return to the keyboard – where, in fact, his whole career began. Recorded a year apart, these readings have both thrust and warmth and are made available […]

Mozart’s sublime masterpiece for violin and viola, the Sinfonia Concertante, was recorded on a few occasions by Marriner, but strangely enough, this version with two of the Academy’s foremost musicians – Alan Loveday and Stephen Shingles – has lain buried in the archives. Now, it receives its first release on CD and likewise its coupling, […]

Colin Davis and the English Chamber Orchestra made several Mozart recordings for L’Oiseau-Lyre. All five symphonies and both Divertimenti that he recorded are collected here on a 2CD set (the Concertone has also been re-issued). Crisp and tender, they are classic performances from the 1960s and will be warmly welcomed in these CD transfers by […]