# Rondo from Haffner Serenade K. 250 by Mozart



## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

Hello People,

I am recently fascinated by this short but great encore by my favorite composer. I am looking for recommendations for your preferred recordings. I know this piece is not like Bruckner or Beethoven cycle--it's just a short but enjoyable little encore, but I think people still have preference between a huge load of recordings. Also, if you know where can I find the Kreisler arrangement online, please leave a link below, as I want to perform this piece on a solo concert for fun.

This is my favorite recording so far. Grumiaux's technique is superior, and he sings with his violin while playing Mozart, as always.





Enjoy the music!
Kevin


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

This is the rondo or central allegro from Mozart's "Haffner" serenade -- music he wrote to celebrate Haffner's daughter's 1776 wedding that is essentially a joyous piece of fluff with a violin concerto enclosed in its 8 movements. This is one of my favorite Mozart works. The original is written for chamber orchestra and violin soloist, not a duo like here. I would call this performance bland -- prissy and unimginative. There is so much more than can be done with just the round than these two do. I like beefier Mozart. My favorite recording of this is by Lucy van Dael, Franz Bruggen and the Orchestra of the 18th Century on a Philips recording. You can hear the whole thing on YouTube though it is played period style a half-step lower than this one. It is about 50 minutes duration. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mozart+haffner+serenade+bruggen


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## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

larold said:


> This is the rondo or central allegro from Mozart's "Haffner" serenade -- music he wrote to celebrate Haffner's daughter's 1776 wedding that is essentially a joyous piece of fluff with a violin concerto enclosed in its 8 movements. This is one of my favorite Mozart works. The original is written for chamber orchestra and violin soloist, not a duo like here. I would call this performance bland -- prissy and unimginative. There is so much more than can be done with just the round than these two do. I like beefier Mozart. My favorite recording of this is by Lucy van Dael, Franz Bruggen and the Orchestra of the 18th Century on a Philips recording. You can hear the whole thing on YouTube though it is played period style a half-step lower than this one. It is about 50 minutes duration. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mozart+haffner+serenade+bruggen


I've listened to the recording recommended by you. It was a nice recording with a beautiful Baroque arrangement. Also, what about this recording? (Rondo starts at 20:15)


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

I generally like Davis though not particularly here. This bears his trademark literalism but the orchestra doesn't seem challenged in any way to play repeats differently from the first time through meaning Davis didn't ask them to. This can be death in Mozart since his works are full of repeats. The Gran Partita, for example, has about 35 in the score, While this performance doesn't "die" some of the repeats become tiresome. There is a thickness to the orchestral sound I don't like that makes it a more romantic conception. Note how the horns in the trio tend to dominate the sound world rather than fit in with the other instruments. The violinist is good, I think, though I didn't care for the cadenza s/he added and thought maybe s/he pushed tempo a bit compared to the overall pace and texture Davis seems to want to create.. In addition the sound is a tad foggy and congested. I'm sure I'd like this as a one off in concert but not so much for home listening. For me this has too many things I wouldn't enjoy to hear it repeatedly. I also think it lacks energy and classical line compared to Bruggen. My guess is Davis would have done this differently earlier in his career when he was more inclined to classicism and projection.


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