# What do you think about Carlos Kleiber's Mozart?



## EvaBaron (Jan 3, 2022)

We all know Carlos Kleiber is one of the most celebrated conductors, whether you like him or not that's a fact. His Beethoven, Brahms and Strauss is very highly regarded, but he also conducted Mozart on multiple occasions. To be more precise, Mozart's 33th symphony and 36th symphony. Yesterday my 'Carlos Kleiber, The Legend' box arrived and these performances are included in the box. So i watched his live performance of Mozart's 36th symphony and i really liked it, but that could be because it was the first time i ever heard this symphony and i don't have any reference. My grandma loves CM and Mozart is her favorite composer so she certainly did have reference. She thought it was too slow in some passages, especially the 3rd movement. So i was wondering what you guys think about it as his Mozart often gets left out of the discussion. Feel free to also leave your opinion on his Schubert, since those performances are more controversial than his Beethoven & Brahms. I love them btw


----------



## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Not all his Schubert is controversial. His 3rd symphony has a slow movement that's too quick for some folks' tastes (and I have some sympathy for that view) but I haven't seen his "Unfinished" criticised in the same way and AFAIC it's a superb reading which makes the piece come alive for me as few other performances have done.

I love Mozart's Symph.no.36 and I usually react the same way to Kleiber's conducting, but I don't know that performance. It's about time I filled that gap!


----------



## EvaBaron (Jan 3, 2022)

Yes that's true, his 8th was very well received and you should hear his Mozart. After listening to Mackerras/SCO i do prefer the tempi in that recording


----------



## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

I think the Schubert is superb and the fastish (it's "allegretto" after all) 3nd movement works quite well. Admittedly I have never heard the Mozart. But there are broadcast recordings of his father with 33, 36, 39, 40 and maybe another Mozart symphony that are also very good, if one can take ca. 1950 sound.
#33 is maybe the most underrated Mozart symphony, it's far superior to the famous #31, and I'd even say it's better than #35, or at least its equal.
The main/only program Carlos Kleiber conducted in his last concerts in the 1990s was Coriolan ouverture, Mozart 33, Brahms 4.


----------

