Mozart - Serenade 10 'Gran Partita' [Marriner -Academy Of Saint Martin In The Fields]
What is it with this work that makes me love it so?, i'm actually adverse to this type of music, i really find Schubert's Octet boring, as soon as i hear the words Wind Band, i think of WindBag!, and yet this is a genius of a composition, one of Mozart's very best works.
Chamber music?, or Symphonic?, this performance uses a Conductor in Neville Marriner, it sounds like a big group, but there's only 13 players, it's amazing what you can do with a small group, Mozart uses a mix of woodwinds and brass, chooses four horns, but no flutes or trumpets, seems a bit arbitrary to include certain instruments, and leave out others, but the results speak for themselves.
This work proves that Mozart is a genius, i enjoyed the first and sixth and seventh movements, the sixth movement variations are very er... varied!, but the last movement finale is a great closer, it's short and sweet, dominated by the higher woodwinds, it's a lively piece, beginning with a fast and complex opening, where all the players chatter away, everything is repeated twice, there's variations to the music, and each little variation spotlights one instrument inparticular, but the piece keeps its jolly exuberance, it's almost danceable music, this is what a finale should be all about.
Here's the finale being played on YouTube.
