Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)

Symphony in E flat major K 5431;
Symphony in D major "Prague" K 5042

From the Sophiensaal in Munich 19911 / From the Christian Zaiss Saal in Wiesbaden 19912

Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, David Zinman1 / Gerd Albrecht2

Picture Format: 4:3
Sound Format: PCM Stereo
Menu Languages: D, F, GB, SP
Subtitle Languages: D, F, GB, SP
Running Time: 60 mins
DVD 5/ NTSC
Region Code: 0 worldwide

100 083 (NTSC)

Fresh and invigorating performances of two more Mozart symphonies on Arthaus' new midprice label this month, this time performed by the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen under Gerd Albrecht and David Zinman.

The Symphony E Flat Major K 543 is one of the "last three symphonies" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and shows his use of abundant emotion and contrasting elements. By the time the composer created this work, he was having great financial difficulties. The symphony may therefore have been written to solve his economic crises. The Symphony D Major K 504 was considered to be the favourite symphony of the Prague audience even ten years after its premiere in 1788. Neither so large nor so grand as Vienna, Prague nonetheless had a voracious appetite for music and a pronounced appreciation for Mozart's compositions and he repaid their loyalty with this work. Composed between Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni, the "Prague" Symphony plays with thematic quotations from both and is often considered as the most operatic of Mozart's symphonies.

The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, one of the world's leading chamber orchestras, has already collaborated with many international star soloists including Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Radu Lupu. They perform here under David Zinman and Gerd Albrecht in two separate concerts recorded in 1991.

"Beethoven's Seventh lifted straight into the sky. The third and fourth movements were vivacity itself"
The Times on the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, 2003