Mozart Violin

Mozart’s Violin Concertos need little introduction and are some of his most well-known and best-loved works. Despite being written when the composer was just 19 years old, they feature Mozart at his elegant, witty and beguilingly changeable best. Handel and Haydn Society with their inspirational Concertmaster, Aisslinn Nosky, bring Mozart’s musical magic to life in these live recordings from Boston’s glorious Symphony Hall.

Experiencing the Australian Chamber Orchestra and their leader Richard Tognetti in concert has been described in The Times as 'like taking a swig of a vitamin drink'. This is the first of two discs on BIS of Mozart's violin concertos. Contributing to this is the fact that the strings (both soloist and orchestra) play on gut strings, while the wind players perform on replicas of instruments from Mozart's time.

"Mozart Violin Sonatas," proclaims the main graphic of this release by pianist Cédric Tiberghien and violinist Alina Ibragimova. Then the track list title reads "Sonatas for keyboard and violin." In reality the program contains both types, for the two-CD set traverses much of Mozart's output for the two instruments, and his attitude toward the relationship between them changed over the course of his career.

Mozart's violin sonatas come mostly from the first part of his career and probably wouldn't have been counted by the composer among his most significant works. They're transitional between the configuration of piano with optional violin accompaniment and that with the violinist in the lead; pianist Cédric Tiberghien here properly receives top billing, and he catches the right balance with violinist Alina Ibragimova.