# ...Mozart -- Where to Start?



## ethan417 (Jun 10, 2020)

Hi
I'm beginning my journey into the world of classical music.

I so want to explore Mozart, but have no idea where to start and what I should listen to.

I know there is an incredible body of work to explore - it seems overwhelming.

What do you suggest I listen to?
Please recommend good performances to seek out as well.

Many thanks


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

I do think we have about 50 Mozart topics, search bar in right corner


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## vincula (Jun 23, 2020)

This was my entrance to Mozart fascinating musical universe many many moons ago. Not a bad place to start. I remember I loaned the old Decca from the school library. I've been hooked to his music ever since!









Since Mozart's output's so vast, I'd narrow down my quest to your preferred musical forms to start with: Orchestral music? chamber? opera? Liturgical? Wind, piano, violin, basoon, flute concertos? That'd help you.

Regards,

Vincula


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Welcome. You posted this in the polls and game section, whereas it is neither a poll nor a game. You will get much more response if you ask an admin to move it to the right forum.


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## Guest (Jul 16, 2020)

ethan417 said:


> Hi
> I'm beginning my journey into the world of classical music.


I'm tempted to say I wouldn't start with Mozart, but I won't.

The first Mozart I bought was Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. My children liked it too.
The second I bought was his Symphonies No 25, 40 and 41. Doubtless there are other recordings that real fans of WAM will provide, but I like this one well enough.

I also have his Symphony No 31 by Charles McKerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. It was a download, so I don't have the others in the set.


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

Try his piano concertos-- particularly nos 20 to 27.


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## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

ethan417 - you can comb through the numerous threads here, but that might be kind of like drinking from the fire hose. I saw somebody post a link to classicalcdguide.com in the past, and they have recommendations for starting points for all the major composers, along with recommended recordings. They aren't all the choices I would make, but it seems like a good place to start. This is a link to their page for recommendations specifically for Mozart:
http://www.classicalcdguide.com/composers/mozart.htm


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## Chatellerault (Apr 4, 2017)

Piano Concertos - I suggest you to check out at least two different recordings, one with modern instruments (e.g. Brendel or Pires) and one with period instruments (e.g. Brautigam or Immerseel) to check out the differences and what makes your heart beat faster.

Symphonies no. 40 and 41 are a good starting point as well, you probably heard some of the themes already on the TV or radio.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Piano concertos. Try no 23


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Chatellerault said:


> Piano Concertos - I suggest you to check out at least two different recordings, one with modern instruments (e.g. Brendel or Pires) and one with period instruments (e.g. Brautigam or Immerseel) to check out the differences and what makes your heart beat faster.
> 
> Symphonies no. 40 and 41 are a good starting point as well, you probably heard some of the themes already on the TV or radio.


Indeed, a set of the piano concertos and the late symphonies, say 35-41 (no.37 often being omitted, with some reason) will be something to return to forever ... 
I'd recommend probably not getting HIP/'historically informed performances' for a start.

Personally I'd suggest Karajan/EMI-Warner for a first, basic experience of the symphonies (not Karajan/DG). Some prefer more sweetness or detail in Mozart, but they are very dynamic, impressive performances, and he's very good in say symphonies 35, 40 and 41.

And for example Anda, Annerose Schmidt, Schiff or Perahia among the complete piano concertos sets. Such complete sets can often be had cheaply these days.

But taste will differ, as said.


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Start with Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and take it from there, is my humble advice ....

Karajan, preferably. :lol:


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

The very first classical music I listened to (at the age of 8 or 9) was Mozart - an LP of Bruno Walter doing symphonies 35 and 40. I never looked back and still love Walter's Mozart. But there are many good starting points - the clarinet concerto was a good recommendation, for example - and you could even go with Opera although the recitatives or, in the German ones, spoken words can slow down your enjoyment. The Klemperer Magic Flute has no spoken dialogue - just the music. I guess the 10th Serenade - "Gran Partita" - is also a good one to start with. 

The film Amadeus - based on a fine play even if not to be taken seriously as history or biography - introduces lots of music (excerpts) which may be another way to open the door.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Try these works, and don't worry right now about which particular performances. Free to hear on You Tube.

Clarinet Quintet K 581
String Quartet no. 20, K 499
Divertimento No. 17, K 334
Piano Concerto No. 21
Symphony No. 41, ("Jupiter")
Quintet For Piano and Winds, K 452


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

All these suggestions are great. I think it's hard to go wrong with Mozart whether you start with symphonies, concertos, or smaller works.

If you plan on moving forward with other composers, I will make one suggestion that helped me enormously when I started. There is a book by Goulding, Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and Their 1,000 Greatest Works. You can find equivalent information on the internet or even on TalkClassical (see our recommendation lists), but he compiles much of it together. His top 5 recommendations for Mozart are:

Symphony 40, 41
Piano Concerto 21
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
The Marriage of Figaro (opera)

Have fun and welcome to the forum.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Many good suggestion. I'll just add that I started with George Szell's recordings of Symphonies 35, 39, 40, and 41.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

If you like the two late symphonies, go back to No.25 and listen through to 41. A good performance is what sounds best to your ears. Try different conductors and orchestras on YouTube or Spotify.
https://www.talkclassical.com/66350...ts-late.html?highlight=mozart+late+symphonies

For piano concertos try Mitsuko Uchida, Alfred Brendel, Geza Anda, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Maria Pires.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Clarinet Concerto and Clarinet Quintet are my two favorite works of his and I highly recommend them to start, especially if you like the instrument.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

I could give you my own opinions, but instead here are the top performances from the Talk Classical community:

1. Friedrich Gulda - Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466 
2. Neville Marriner - Mozart, Requiem
3. René Jacobs November 2013, Freiburg - Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro
4. Mathieu Herzog - Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551
5. Carlo Maria Giulini - Mozart: Don Giovanni


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

A little more advice - take it slow. You might want to listen to, say, a symphony (or two) many times before moving on to something new.


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## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

Lots of good suggestions. I'd add the Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola.

Also for the opera recs I'd say there's no shame in starting with highlight albums.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

I think his overtures are a nice, accessible intro, with some "famous" tunes to latch on to.

The collection I own is Hans Vonk with the Staatskapelle Dresden.









https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7943662--mozart-overtures

This album, by Karajan/BPO, includes Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Divertimento No. 15 in splendid sound.









https://www.prestomusic.com/classic...13-in-g-major-k525-eine-kleine-nachtmusik-etc

Once you're firmly into Mozart, there is a universe of other stuff to try, e.g. late symphonies, divertimentii, Requiem.


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## HolstThePhone (Oct 11, 2015)

1. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (you definitely know this already)
2. Divertimento in D major - this is a favourite of mine
2. Symphonies no. 25, 40 and 41. 
3. Piano Sonata no. 11 in A major
4. Requiem in D minor - phenomenal beyond words 

Also definitely explore other composers - maybe learn a little bit about the history of Classical music and listen to composers from different eras to see what most appeals to you. 

Also ultimately have fun! Don't let the "academic" side of Classical music detract from the pure enjoyment of it.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

This is exactly the type of thing I created my blog for:

http://somethingclassical.blogspot.com


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)




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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

The missae breves (short masses written for practical use) are remarkable how much stuff fits into their compact format. One of the most fascinating things I think is how his use of strings reflect the mood of the piece at any given moment, and change organically. 
For example, the way to resolve tension chromatically at 3:27~3:31 









Even during the time he was writing in the more symphonic idiom (cir. 1775~7, like the example above), he revisits older Salzburg traditions once again in K.275. The agnus dei is one of hidden treasures of south German catholic music.







hammeredklavier said:


> I find this to be the most interesting work Mozart wrote at 20.
> It consists of 9 movements, but there are elements of contrast and connections between them:
> _"hostia sancta"_ (9:24), which comes after the dark, solemn _"verbum caro factum"_ (8:03) feels brighter by contrast, but it also has its dark elements of contrast constantly injecting a sense of tension, within itself:
> [10:55]: _"stupendum supra omina miracula"_,
> ...





hammeredklavier said:


> I think his Missa longa K.262 in C major (1775) is an interesting example to discuss. About how it's different in expressivity from the masterful Missa in honorem sanctissimae trinitatis (K.167, which he wrote two years earlier), and how Mozart starts to outgrow the influences of his father (and other Salzburg masters including Eberlin) in expressivity, and show-off many various aspects of contrapuntal composition (canon, fugato, double fugato, fugue, double fugue, triple fugue) with a "Look, daddy! No hands!" attitude.
> Kyrie: contains sections of double fugues in sonata-ritornello form [0:32]. It has a striking development in a darker color [1:46].
> Gloria: contains sections of expressive counterpoint, for example, _"Domine fili.."_ [4:25],
> _"miserere"_ [5:10].
> ...


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

Eine kleine nachtmusik

Piano Concerto 21

Symphonies 31, 34, 39

Violin Concerto No. 4

Clarinet Concerto / Flute and Harp Concerto

C minor mass and Requiem after these

Don Giovanni an opera when you know him


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## ribonucleic (Aug 20, 2014)

A serenade would be my recommendation for a starting point, but not the unbearably overplayed Nachtmusik. Go with the Haffner instead and impress your friends.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

No doubt about it. I'm going to have to import my Beginner's Guide to Classical Music to this forum.

Naturally, there is a very good representation of Mozart. Here you go.

*#8. Symphony 41 in C "Jupiter"
#10. Overture from The Marriage of Figaro
#32. Symphony No. 40 in G Minor
#35. Requiem in D minor
#53. Piano Concerto No. 20

#60. Piano Concerto No. 21 "Elvira Madigan"
#67. Symphony No. 35
#83. Symphony No. 36
#95. Overture from The Magic Flute
#106. Symphony No. 37

#129. Symphony No. 38 
#155. Symphony No. 39
#159. Horn Concerto No. 3
#164. Don Giovani
#170. Piano Concerto No. 21

#171 The Marriage of Figaro
#172 Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) 
#173 Concerto for Flute and Harp 
#174 Clarinet Concerto In A Major
175. Piano Sonata No. 11 In A, K331/K300I ("Alla Turca")
191. Mozart: String Quartet No. 5 in D major*

More? These are slated for the list, but are, as yet, not slotted, as it's a work in progress.

Piano Concerto No. 23
Piano Concerto No. 27
COSI FAN TUTTI
Serenade No. 13 "Eine kleine Nachtmusik"
Solemn Vespers (Vesperae solennes de confessore)

Exsultate, jubilate
Piano Concerto No. 24, 
Horn Concerto No. 4 in E flat major
Oboe Concerto in C major
Quintet In A For Clarinet And Strings, K581

Sinfonia Concertante
String Quartet No.5 in D major
Horn Concerto #2 in Eb K 417	
Clarinet Quintet in A major
"Jeunehomme" Piano Concerto

String Quartets Nos 14-19 Op 10 "Haydn"
Gran Partita
Symphony No 25, Mvt 1
Piano Quartet No. 2 in Eb k. 493: Allegretto

On the list there are short little blurbs on each to flesh them out a bit.

Part 1: http://www.yesfans.com/showthread.php?86027-A-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Classical-Music&highlight= 
Part 2: http://www.yesfans.com/showthread.php?87259-A-Beginner-s-Guide-to-Classical-Music-Part-2&highlight=


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## Judas Priest Fan (Apr 27, 2018)

Do it like I did; start with Symphony No. 1 and listen to all 41 of them 

One of my favorites is his 29th. I just love it!


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## Guest002 (Feb 19, 2020)

At the risk of sounding like self-advertising, I put together a new thematic catalogue of Mozart's works with audio samples of each. There are 673 catalogue entries to work through in all (not all by Mozart, so not all have music samples attached), but no one section has a ridiculously large number of entries to have to deal with.

Click the green button next to a work and if there's an audio sample, play it. Anything you fancy, make a note of and find a full recording on Spotify (for example).

If you like choral music, start in the Choral Section. If symphonies are more your thing, start there. And so on.

It can be a fun journey. I second the recommendations not to rush it. Sampling is one thing to narrow down your field of interest. But after that, allow a piece to 'mature' before plunging off onto another.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

AbsolutelyBaching said:


> At the risk of sounding like self-advertising, I put together a new thematic catalogue of Mozart's works with audio samples of each. There are 673 catalogue entries to work through in all (not all by Mozart, so not all have music samples attached), but no one section has a ridiculously large number of entries to have to deal with.
> 
> Click the green button next to a work and if there's an audio sample, play it. Anything you fancy, make a note of and find a full recording on Spotify (for example).
> 
> ...


Nice site AB. Surely a Britten Catalogue soon, right?


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## Guest002 (Feb 19, 2020)

mikeh375 said:


> Nice site AB. Surely a Britten Catalogue soon, right?


<taps side of head>It's all in there, Mikeh!</taps>

Seriously, though: with the Britten Thematic Catalogue on-line and functioning nicely, there's zero need for me to replicate it, though they could do with some nicer web design! "Stark" doesn't quite begin to describe their current offering 

And thanks for the compliment.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

AbsolutelyBaching said:


> At the risk of sounding like self-advertising, I put together a new thematic catalogue of Mozart's works with audio samples of each. There are 673 catalogue entries to work through in all (not all by Mozart, so not all have music samples attached), but no one section has a ridiculously large number of entries to have to deal with.


Good work. La Betulia liberata K.118 starts with an overture in D minor, not F major, btw:








Here's one section in the piece I find memorable:


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

The piano concertos and Symphony No. 40 were my entryway to Mozart. Murray Perahia's set of piano concertos with the English Chamber Orchestra would be a great place to start.


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## Guest002 (Feb 19, 2020)

hammeredklavier said:


> Good work. La Betulia liberata K.118 starts with an overture in D minor, not F major, btw:
> View attachment 139951


Ah. Well, if you look at one of my sources, bottom line, you'll see _it_ mentions 'F' (i.e., F major) as the key for that piece, so I probably just transferred that across verbatim. And I would have been bamboozled into reading the key signature as F major too (I always forget my relative minors, I'm afraid  )

I get that violins starting on a D and playing an F natural kind of gives the true situation away, however! So consider the catalogue updated.

Thanks for the heads up!

I'm quite confident there are loads of other slip-ups on my part. Happy to take PMs if you find any more


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

*#106. Symphony No. 37*

Someone want to explain what this is and how it was ranked so highly?

And if something that either doesn't exist or doesn't belong to Mozart, as Wikipedia suggests, being ranked ahead of much better stuff ... just how good can the whole ranking system be considered?


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## Guest002 (Feb 19, 2020)

larold said:


> *#106. Symphony No. 37*
> 
> Someone want to explain what this is and how it was ranked so highly?
> 
> And if something that either doesn't exist or doesn't belong to Mozart, as Wikipedia suggests, being ranked ahead of much better stuff ... just how good can the whole ranking system be considered?


Well, it definitely exists. It was played for many years as a Mozart symphony before being recognised as having been written by Michael Haydn -and Michael Haydn was no slouch when it came to writing good music. So granted: he might not be in Mozart's league, but he's not utterly incompetent either. So the ranking of that piece, whether mis-attributed to Mozart or not, seems explicable to me.

Mozart considered it good enough for him to spend time writing an introduction for it, after all.

From my notes on it:
_
Among Mozart's possessions after his death was found the score for a symphony, containing a slow introduction, the following Allegro and half of the Andante in Mozart's own handwriting. The second half of the Andante, the Minuet & Trio and the Finale were in someone else's handwriting. This work became known as Mozart's Symphony No. 37 -though as early as 1907, it was recognised that all bar the slow introduction were actually a symphony by Michael Haydn, P.16, written for the installation of a new abbot at the Michelbeuren Monastery in May 1783.

These days, K¹444 is generally taken to refer only to the slow introduction of the symphony, which is indeed a genuinely new composition by Mozart.

For a long time, it was assumed that Mozart had thrown together a revision of Haydn's symphony in Linz in 1783 (where we know, from a letter of October 31st 1783, that "I am writing a new symphony at breakneck speed, which must be finished by November 4th"), since he had promised to perform a new symphony there, with none to hand. But studies of the paper used for the K¹444 work show that it was of the type Mozart only used after his return to Vienna from Linz, and most probably dates therefore to February - April 1784. (The actual symphony Mozart wrote in Linz at such speed is therefore K¹425, the "Linz" Symphony No. 36) _


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

It may "exist" as you say but please explain how it is ahead of all these other masterpieces in this ranking -- and who cast all these votes for this dubious piece of Mozart:

#129. Symphony No. 38
#155. Symphony No. 39
#159. Horn Concerto No. 3
#164. Don Giovani
#170. Piano Concerto No. 21

#171 The Marriage of Figaro
#172 Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)
#173 Concerto for Flute and Harp
#174 Clarinet Concerto In A Major
175. Piano Sonata No. 11 In A, K331/K300I ("Alla Turca")
191. Mozart: String Quartet No. 5 in D major


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## Guest002 (Feb 19, 2020)

larold said:


> It may "exist" as you say but please explain how it is ahead of all these other masterpieces in this ranking -- and who cast all these votes for this dubious piece of Mozart:
> 
> #129. Symphony No. 38
> #155. Symphony No. 39
> ...


It definitely does exist, but I certainly have no especial insight as to what catches other people's imaginations or meets their tastes.

Questioning the results of these sorts of poll seems a bit like raging at the wind to me. It is what it is and it's futile to wish it were otherwise.

I speak as someone who thinks _Peter Grimes_ and _Paul Bunyan_ should be _way_ higher in people's estimation than they seem actually to be!


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

larold said:


> It may "exist" as you say but please explain how it is ahead of all these other masterpieces in this ranking -- and who cast all these votes for this dubious piece of Mozart:
> 
> #129. Symphony No. 38
> #155. Symphony No. 39
> ...


My ordering is not based on a "ranking" of best or favorites.

It's ranked by accessibility as an introduction to classical music. And my list is far from perfect; the first of *Vivaldi*'s *Seasons* listed is *Summer*, a very subjective choice at best.

For instance, *Wagner*'s "*Ring*" has not appeared on my list, even though I've certainly compiled it up to #200 already. Why? Because if you are attempting to get a newbie interested in Classical Music, you don't throw *The Ring *or *Penderecki*'s *Threnody* at them right away. Bad move. They may never listen to another Classical piece again.

Inclusion on _*"The List"*_ includes and excludes works, but usually there will be something interesting about the works chosen that makes listening a joy.

Here's my "blurb" on it:

*#106
Symphony 37 in G Major
WA Mozart
1783 *

There is no *Symphony 37* by Mozart.

*Let me explain*: Until the mid-17th Century it was considered a waste of time to catalog music - honestly, nobody realized it was actually worth keeping or remembering.

There's a couple of modern examples here:

*Film*: movies were considered one-shot viewing deals, once created, and viewed, preserving them wasn't considered, in fact, many were deliberately melted down so the celluloid could be recycled.

*TV*: TV shows in the 1950s through the mid 1960s were not preserved . . . the video was reused, and often all we have are kinescopes (films of the broadcast) as a record.

So it was back in the 1800s. Nobody back then expected their music to be played centuries later, let alone be organized. In the "Classical" era, they rarely played music from earlier centuries (outside of some church pieces), and there wasn't a large music publishing business. What purpose was there in cataloguing and carefully codifying one's music? Not only that, since music printing did not become very profitable until the nineteenth century either, composers did not expect it to hold particular value after it had been performed.

Mozart almost certainly did not title his symphonies - nobody did.

*Ludwig von Kochel* finally counted everything in 1862, 71 years after Mozart's death (which is why all of Mozart's works have a K. number after them). He painstakingly found _*all*_ of Mozart's 626 works and put them roughly into chronological order.

When looking at Mozart's symphonies, he counted 41. He recognized Mozart's handwriting, and looking at the music of "Symphony 37," he could tell the introduction was clearly composed by Mozart. But in *1907, Lothar Perger* discovered that the rest of the symphony was actually one by *Michael Haydn* (the brother of Joseph Haydn). Mozart had likely copied the symphony to learn from it (which was a common practice back then to learn from others), and simply composed his own slow introduction since it didn't have one.

It's doubtful that Mozart worried much about the confusion he may have caused by his frequently copying out other composer's scores. That's how you learn. Or, perhaps in Mozart's case, it's how he entertained himself; by writing out something he had heard.

It's not that he plagiarized it . . . it's that he made a handwritten copy of it, and added a 90 second introduction, and this was *later* thought to a symphony that Mozart had written.

By 1907, everybody was very familiar with the famous symphony No. 40 in G minor, and his amazing _*"Jupiter"*_ Symphony No. 41. Were people going to call the Jupiter Symphony no. 40, and No. 40 No. 39? That would be too confusing, so we simply skip over 37 and refer to the others by their "original" titles.

So . . . While there _*was*_ a *37th Symphony*, because it was believed to be a work by Mozart, *there is no longer* a Symphony No. 37, as it is mostly written by *Michael Haydn*, being his *Symphony No. 25 in G major*, Perger 16, Sherman 25, MH 334.

Mozart's _*Adagio maestoso*_ introduction in triple time (3/4) ends with a fermata on a V7 chord, which leads into a tonic chord beginning Haydn's work. And Mozart did not copy the rest of the work verbatim: he removed a bassoon solo from the middle Andante sostenuto movement, and "appears to have reduced the colla parte writing in the winds throughout the work," according to music historian Gary Smith. There's also some other minor alterations, such as leaving out some bassoon doublings of the cello part, and leaving out the harpsichord, which was playing a 'continuo' part based on the cello line.

*Ⅰ. Adagio maestoso - Allegro con spirito
Ⅱ. Andante sostenuto
Ⅲ. Allegro molto*

Here's a spirited performance, with the harpsichord part restored (played by *Roland Martin*). Unfortunately there is no attribution on this video, but Martin is an adjunct professor at the University of Buffalo specializing in harpsichord and organ. The orchestra is likely either that school's orchestra or one of the many others where he's been a "guest".

There's also something a bit different about this live performance: Notice how the violins and violas aren't sitting.

.


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## Bkeske (Feb 27, 2019)

View attachment 140000


Or, start with this set. Can be picked up fairly inexpensively, or stream it if you have a service.

Like others have mentioned, all in order of symphony #, so you can start with 1, and proceed 'up the ladder'. For me, I prefer Mozart's later works over his earlier compositions. But that's me.

Interesting, I was thinking of playing some of this today.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

_"I can't give you any excuses for it - there are no excuses. I've been meaning to spend more time in the restaurant recently, but I haven't been too well... (emotionally) things aren't going very well back there. The poor cook's son has been put away again, and poor old Mrs Dalrymple who does the washing up can hardly move her poor fingers, and then there's Gilberto's war wound - but they're good people, and they're kind people, and together we were beginning to get over this dark patch ... there was light at the end of the tunnel . .. now this . .. now this.."_


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

In certain ways, even more than his brother (Joseph), Michael Haydn is closer to Mozart in terms of types of works produced, considering the fact that each wrote about 40 symphonies, 20 string quartets, 6 string quintets (with one added viola), some orchestral divertimentos, serenades, a requiem, vespers, and litanies.

*sancta maria [ 6:53 ]
salus infirmorum [ 15:23 ]
agnus dei [ 23:50 ]*


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## Tallisman (May 7, 2017)

Piano concertos 20, 21, 23 (Ashkenazy on Decca were the ones I started with, but there are probably superior ones). 

His 'Haydn' Quartets

Mass in C Minor, Requiem


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

I. I too would recommend that you begin with Mozart's Piano Concertos, as they're among his finest works. For instance, Beethoven was in awe of K. 491, which served as the model for his Piano Concerto no. 3, & he composed 2 cadenzas for K. 466, which he chose to perform at a concert fundraiser for Mozart's widow, Constanza, who Mozart had left in a state of debt at his death. So, the Piano Concertos K. 466* & K. 491* are an excellent place to start. But I'd also recommend that you hear at least the following ten Mozart Piano Concertos, as well (& I've placed an asterisk* by my special favorites): K. 271*, K, 365 for two pianos, K. 414, K. 449, K. 450, K. 453*, K. 482*, K. 488*, K. 503*, & K. 595*.

As for recordings, with Mozart it's important to hear pianists that know how to add ornamentation (i.e., bits of improvisation) played seamlessly in a classical style, especially in the cadenzas. This skill is not something that all pianists excel at. Three pianists that know how to ornament in Mozart are Alicia De Larrocha, Alfred Brendel, & Murray Perahia (though of course they're not the only ones, but they are three of the best):

1. Alicia De Larrocha's best Mozart Piano Concerto recordings came with conductors Uri Segal and Sir Colin Davis, on Decca & RCA, respectively. The various Davis recordings are digital, while the single Segal recording is analogue. There's also an excellent earlier De Larrocha recording of K. 414 with the London Sinfonietta, conducted by David Zinman, which comes coupled with concertos by Bach & Haydn on an Eloquence label CD:

For sampling,

--K. 488, with the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Sir Colin Davis:




All of De Larrocha's RCA Mozart Piano Concerto recordings are included in the following 6 CD box set: https://www.amazon.com/Larrocha-Pla...ha+plays+Mozart&qid=1595003812&s=music&sr=1-1
The whole RCA set can be listened to on You Tube: 




--K. 482, with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra & Uri Segal: 



--K. 414, with the London Sinfonietta & David Zinman:












https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8044748--bach-mozart-haydn-piano-concertos

However, De Larrocha didn't leave us a complete set of all 23 Piano Concertos.

If you end up liking her playing, I'd strongly recommend that you also look into the following 'desert island' disc in my collection of De Larrocha playing late Mozart Piano Sonatas on RCA:

















https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano...+sonatas+vol.+5&qid=1594923189&s=music&sr=1-1

(By the way, De Larrocha recorded a complete set of Mozart's Piano Sonatas for RCA, which are digital recordings & include the above 'desert island' disc; however, her earlier analogue Decca sonata series offers arguably even better performances, overall, & those discs are now issued in a very recommendable discount box set by Australian Eloquence, which also goes with me to my desert island. But the earlier Decca series isn't complete:

RCA set: 























https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sonat...ozart+eloquence&qid=1594922509&s=music&sr=8-1

(With that said, I'm equally fond of pianist Ingrid Haebler's set of Mozart Piano Sonatas on the Denon label--another pianist that knows how to ornament in Mozart, but her set is no longer easy to find at a reasonable price: https://www.amazon.co.jp/Complete-P...id+haebler+mozart+denon&qid=1594925812&sr=8-1 ); along with pianist Maria João Pires' Mozart set on Denon (which I prefer to Pires' later DG set): https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Complete-Piano-Sonatas-Maria/dp/B000DZJKCG . You can't go wrong with any of these sets. Which I point out to show you that in classical music it's almost always a difficult choice, since there are usually multiple excellent versions to choose from, and various pros and cons to weigh for each pick. For example, in addition, there's also a great historical set from pianist Mieczyslaw Horszowski on the Arbiter label, and a wonderful period set played on a period fortepiano from Malcolm Bilson on Hungaroton. The late Elizabeth Rich is likewise remarkable in her complete series on the Connoisseur Society label. & Alfred Brendel is also wonderful in his incomplete sonata set on Universal Eloquence (not to be confused with the Australian Eloquence label), etc.. All of which makes the choice a lot more difficult. In other words, there's no such thing as a definitive performance!)

2. Alfred Brendel recorded a complete set of the piano concertos with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in the 1970s, and then later in his career made a number of digital recordings with Sir Charles Mackerras & the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The latter recordings are very well recorded, but I don't generally find Brendel's playing to be quite as nimble and as cleanly detailed and articulated in his later days (as on the earlier cycle). Plus, Brendel ornamented better on his earlier recordings, IMO, where it can at times sound like he's creating the music on the spot. However, Mackerras is arguably the better Mozart conductor. And yet the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is probably the better ensemble. Hence, the usual dilemma involved in collecting music, and why you should always try to sample a variety of recordings before you pick one. If you do choose Brendel, I'd recommend the following discount box set of his complete recordings with Marriner, since that it has superior Ambient Sound Imaging remasters, or AMSI:

Regrettably, I see the price tag on this once inexpensive set has gone up, so it may be OOP?:
https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Die-K...marriner+mozart&qid=1594923615&s=music&sr=1-8
Here, I find it is less expensive on Amazon.de, but the shipping costs may be exorbitant?, depending on where you are: https://www.amazon.de/Klavierkonzer...brendel+marriner+mozart&qid=1594923775&sr=8-1
It can also be bought on various other discount releases, but I don't expect the sound quality will be quite as good as the AMSI remasters: 




If you wish to begin with some of the individual Brendel/Marriner CDs instead, the following two discs make an excellent place to start:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7927497--mozart-piano-concertos-nos-15-21-23

Unfortunately, I see the following Pentatone hybrid SACD disc--which offers superb remasters--has also gotten pricer on Amazon, which doesn't mean that you can't find it elsewhere at a better price, since Amazon isn't always a reliable or accurate guide to pricing, but it may take some looking: https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano...endel+pentatone&qid=1594923868&s=music&sr=1-1

(If you're looking for audiophile sound--which is always nice to have, I also enjoy the following disc--which I own on an out of print? hybrid SACD, & not on CD as linked below--from Brendel's later series with Mackerras of two of my favorite Mozart Piano Concertos:
https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano...ackerras+k.+271&qid=1594931960&s=music&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/MOZART-PIANO-CONCERTO-NO-9-Hybrid/dp/B00008KL23

The following Philips Brendel/Mackerras CD has excellent sound engineering, too, but again you'll have to do some searching to find it at a more reasonable price: https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano...ozart+mackerras&qid=1594931762&s=music&sr=1-1)

3. Murray Perahia, with the English Chamber Orchestra, conducted from the keyboard by Perahia. This too is a popular, excellent complete set of Mozart Piano Concertos; however, in general, with a few exceptions, I don't like it quite as much as the recordings by De Larrocha & Brendel. Perahia's phrasing isn't always as interesting and engaging as De Larrocha or Brendel's, nor does he ornament quite as well, either. Plus, Perahia isn't as good a conductor as the more seasoned Mozart conductors accompanying the other two pianists (Davis, Mackerras, & Marriner). Nevertheless, Perahia isn't a bad Mozart conductor & it's a wonderful set. I'd especially recommend Perahia's playing of K. 466, where he's as fine as Brendel, if not better:





https://www.prestomusic.com/classic...and-conducts-mozart-piano-concertos-nos-11-20.

Yet one of my most treasured discs by Perahia is the initial disc that he recorded for a new Mozart PC cycle with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe on Sony (of K. 467 & K. 595)--a project that unfortunately never went further due to a hand injury that Perahia sustained at the time:

https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano...+chamber+europe&qid=1594939161&s=music&sr=1-1










Here's a link to the complete Perahia ECO set: 




https://www.amazon.com/Murray-Perah...+perahia+mozart&qid=1594936681&s=music&sr=1-1
& on Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Compl...+perahia+mozart&qid=1594936681&s=music&sr=1-2

Of course, there are other pianists that are great in these concertos, too--such as Clara Haskil, who was one of the finest Mozart pianists of the past, and I treasure the following AMSI box set of her Mozart recordings, which also goes with me to my desert island: https://www.amazon.com/Haskil-Spiel...a+haskil+mozart&qid=1594936769&s=music&sr=1-2

https://www.amazon.com/Piano-Concer...a+haskil+mozart&qid=1594936769&s=music&sr=1-1

...along with the Mozart piano concerto recordings by Ivan Moravec, Andras Schiff (with some wonderfully red blooded Mozart conducting from Sandor Vegh--Schiff & Vegh are exceptional in the early concertos!): 



), Geza Anda (for his more romantic interpretations of the old school), Christian Zacharias on EMI (which I slightly prefer to this pianist's second cycle on MDG, which nevertheless comes in amazing audiophile sound), and Rudolf Serkin (although I generally prefer Serkin's performances on his lesser sounding early Columbia recordings to his later DG recordings, where his playing had started to slightly decline due to older age, despite some very beautiful slow movements).

I should also mention that if you're on a tight budget, the Zacharias cycle on EMI is a good buy: https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-21-Pi...ozart+concertos&qid=1595005580&s=music&sr=1-1, as is the discount set from Perahia on Sony (linked above).

I don't mean to confuse you with all these suggestions, but as you can see, there are a lot of very exceptional recordings to sample & choose from for these popular works. But, for now, I'd recommend that you sample & choose between De Larrocha, Brendel, and Perahia (& maybe Schiff, or some combination of these pianists if you decide to buy the CDs individually). And then later on, if you grow to love this music as much as I do, you may wish to expand your collection and listening horizons, and hear some of the other pianists, too: including possibly hearing these concertos played on a historical fortepiano with period instruments, such as by fortepianist Malcolm Bilson, whose period set with The English Baroque Soloists is one of the finest (though be warned that the sound of a fortepiano isn't for everyone), or in reduced chamber versions, such as the recording by Daniel Isoir & La Petite Symphonie--just to show you the large range of interpretative options & styles available to you):














Of additional interest, the fortepianist/scholar Robert Levin has given various informative lectures on ornamentation in Mozart that are excellent & can be watched on You Tube: 



.)

II. Secondly, I agree with others that you should try to hear Mozart played on period instruments. Prior to the period revival of the 1980s, most Mozart recordings were performed in a late romantic or late 19th century Brahms-like style that the 18th century Mozart wouldn't have recognized. Which is not to say that these 'romanticized' performances don't have their merits. Of course, they do, and many of them offer very beautiful performances with deep musical insights. However, stylistically, it's not always what Mozart would have expected to hear, nor what he tailored his scores to. So, with that in mind, I'd suggest that you have a listen to two of Mozart's symphonies: his No. 31 "Paris" Symphony, and No. 38 "Prague" Symphony, in performances played on both modern and period instruments, so that you can begin to hear the differences between the two approaches:

--Symphony no. 31 "Paris":

1. On modern instruments: Here is no. 31 played by the Staatskapelle Dresden, which used to be one of the great Mozart orchestras in the world, and whose 1960s, 70s, & 80s Mozart recordings you can almost never go wrong with, no matter who's conducting, whether it was Otmar Suitner, Herbert Blomstedt, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, or Sir Colin Davis, etc.:














2. On period instruments: 




As an alternate listen, if you wish: 




--Symphony no. 38 "Prague":

1. On modern instruments: Here is no. 38 played by the Berlin Philharmonic, conducted by Karl Böhm. This performance is a good example of Mozart conducted and played in a later, more Brahmsian style, and I wouldn't overly recommend buying Böhm's box set; though others love Bohm's Mozart and don't seem to care than his conducting style with the Berlin Philharmonic at least isn't in a classical style, nor that Böhm can cause the music to drag badly at times as a result. But you may like these performances. We all have different tastes. Either way, I'd urge you to at least hear & understand the differences first, so that you can then decide for yourself about which performance style you prefer in Mozart (& bear in mind that your preference may change over time, as you listen to more music): 



. I grew up listening to both styles, so I enjoy a combination of the best of both, however, I tend to lean toward period performances nowadays.

2. Period instruments--Christopher Hogwood's performance of Symphony no. 38 goes with me to my desert island:













Here's an alternative listen, if you wish: 




III. Mozart was also one of the great opera composers in music history and that is another rewarding part of his opus to explore. You could start with a CD of his opera overtures, which are brilliant & a lot of fun: https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Overtures-Wolfgang-Amadeus/dp/B00000JPCD. Or, you might begin by watching Ingmar Bergman's film of Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute (see link below). Interestingly, the sets in Bergman's film are re-created after authentic 18th century sets that were discovered intact & in surprisingly good condition at the Drottingholm Court Theater in Sweden, where Bergman wanted to make his film but wasn't allowed to: so he instead had the interior of the theater & its sets painstakingly recreated in a film studio in Stockholm:






--As for modern instrument recordings of The Magic Flute, I've probably most liked the older recording by conductor Otmar Suitner & the Staatskapelle Dresden on RCA, but there are a number of other excellent choices, too--from conductors Otto Klemperer, Karl Böhm, Sir Colin Davis, Wolfgang Sawallisch, etc.:





https://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Die-Zauberfl-Otmar-Suitner/dp/B0000252D4

On period instruments: 








Live on stage: 




--You should also try to hear Mozart's opera, Don Giovanni, which makes my short list of the greatest operas ever composed:













Digital era recording: 




& on period instruments: 




An alternative period performance:









(By the way, there's also a live Don Giovanni recording on DVD conducted by Ostman, with a different cast than on the CD performance linked above, and it was filmed inside the actual Drottingholm Theater.)

Live on stage: 




... as well as Mozart's other operas, such as The Marriage of Figaro: 



, & on modern instruments: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003KJOK0E/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp

& Cosi fan Tutte: 



& on DVD: https://www.prestomusic.com/classic...n6CXkcfS6gIVz8DACh3REg0gEAQYBSAB EgIzJPD_BwE

Here too is an excellent box set of 'highlights' from Mozart's operas (drawn from complete performances--although you may prefer to hear the entire operas first): https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7970790--suitner-conducts-mozart-opera-highlights

I'll add some additional Mozart recommendations on a future post, which you can use as either alternative places to start, or for future reference...


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## cheregi (Jul 16, 2020)

Josquin13 said:


> I. I too would recommend that you begin with Mozart's Piano Concertos, as they're among his finest works. For instance...


thank you for the incredible comprehensiveness here! i too have been wondering 'where to start with mozart' and will surely check out many of these.


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