─ 麥可．亞歷山大．威廉斯／指揮
─ 科隆學會合奏團

除了與鋼琴家羅納德.布勞提岡一系列廣受好評的莫札特協奏曲全集, 孟德爾頌, 貝多芬錄音作品之外, 科隆學會合奏團與指揮麥可．亞歷山大．威廉斯繼續探索莫札特小夜曲與其他附屬作品. 他們這系列的第一張包含了(郵車號角小夜曲, SACD2244)證明該樂團如MusicWeb-International古典音樂網站的評論家所描述:”是最佳的古樂器演奏樂團之一”.

然後這團隊錄製了共濟會(Freemasons)時期相關的作品(SACD2294), 並在目前這張中收錄了其中最有名的(哈弗納)小夜曲(以Sigmund Haffner命名, 他委任莫札特為他妹妹在1776年婚禮的慶祝活動而寫的作品). 一個值得注意的莫札特小夜曲的特點 - 當然不例外的也包含像(哈弗納)這種大型的小夜曲 – 是包含精湛獨奏的部分, 在此由小提琴家亞歷山大.雅尼杰克演奏( Alexander Janiczek). 在這張幾乎填滿的光碟(86分鐘), 這有時氣勢雄偉的小夜曲之後跟著的是莫札特的’音樂玩笑’– (音樂的樂趣Ein musikalischer Spaß, K522). 這一件四個樂章的作品是寫給弦樂器和一對號角, 是令人喜悅而且巧妙滑稽的模仿 - 無論是在寫作或是表演中 - 二流的音樂能力不足的地方, 都被莫札特和在此表演的樂團觀察捕捉到.

Besides an acclaimed series of recordings with Ronald Brautigam of the complete piano concertos by Mozart, Mendelssohn and Beethoven, Kolner Akademieand Michael Alexander Willens are undertaking a survey of Mozart’s serenades and other incidental works. Their first disc in this series included the Posthorn Serenade and demonstrated, according to the reviewer on MusicWeb-International, that the ensemble is ‘amongst the best groups in the world of period performance.’

Since then the team has recorded works associated with the Freemasons, and here takes on one of the most famous of the serenades, the ‘Haffner’, named after Sigmund Haffner, who commissioned it for the festivities surrounding his sister’s wedding in 1776. A notable feature of Mozart’s serenades –and the large-scale Haffner is no exception –is the incorporation of virtuosic solo parts, here performed by the violinist Alexander Janiczek. On the amply-filled disc (almost 86 minutes!), the at times quite imposing serenade is followed by Mozart’s ‘Musical Joke’ –Ein musikalischer SpaB, K 522. A work in four movements, this is a delightful and very skilfully crafted parody of musical incompetence. It is written for strings and a pair of horns, and its frequent caricatures of the second-rate – whether in composition or performance – are brilliantly observed, by Mozart as well as the present performers.