Magyar Narancs: Mozart: Serenades
In the 18th century concert music and light music were not as far apart as they are today. The same musicians composed both, and even the performers were partly the same people. Mozart was both the Jörg Widmann and the Ed Sheeran of his age, all at the same time. Most of the genres of light music e.g. dance suites, divertimentos, cassatios, and serenades were grouped with concert music. The latter genre involves multi-movement instrumental suites played by somebody to seek the favour of a beloved one usually in the evening, by surprise, or, weather permitting, in the open air to celebrate a name day, a wedding, the birth of a child, a christening ceremony to further elevate mood at the event, and to render the day even more memorable.
Mozart wrote many such pieces (they were a good source of revenue when composed to order), and his works share some important common features: they are light, cheerful, varied, creative, virtuosic, entertaining, and of course of uncompromising artistic standard including several evergreen masterpieces with the only difference that you were not expected to listen to them with your forehead wrinkled, but were allowed to smiley while it played.
The Capella Savaria has now recorded two of these miracles (Haffner-serenade, K. 250/248b; Serenata notturna, K. 239) featuring the brilliant violin solos of their art director Zsolt Kalló, and conducted by their old friend, and master of unswerving taste, and solid technical skills Nicholas McGegan. They are two works of closely related character from Salzburg from 1776 meaning that Mozart was just twenty when he composed them with apparent ease. We hear two pieces of dreamlike perfection performed with purity, magnificence, and inspiration. The tone is transparent, yet savoury, the accents vivid, the rhythm flexible, and the segmentation evoking chatter. The pieces ooze with merriment, and the performance is affectionate, and full of life. A musical bubble bath.
Kristóf Csengery
Source: Magyar Narancs