Albrecht Mayer

Mozart: Works For Oboe And Orchestra/Piano

Deutsche Grammophon, 2022

9/10

Listen to Mozart: Works For Oboe And Orchestra/Piano

This Extended Edition of Albrecht Mayer’s Mozart album comes with 6 additional tracks, including new arrangements from Die Zauberflöte and Die Entführung aus dem Serail.

“Allegro for Oboe and Orchestra in F major K” opens the listen with the dancing strings and soothing oboe working together with much grace and agility in the flowing climate, and “Ave verum corpus” follows with a calmer approach of emotive and warm orchestral sounds that tugs on the heartstrings.

Deeper into disc 1, “Rondo in C major” emits a radiant meshing of oboe with the sublime strings that’s quite cinematic, while “Exsultate, jubilate” glides swifly with a breezy and trimphant spirit of poetic and sophisticated instrumentation.

The 2nd disc benefits much from fluid piano, and showcases the quick yet intimate “Martern aller Arten”, as well as “Lungi le cure ingrate”, where the meticulous key progressions suit the moody strings. “Gran Adagio” exits the listen, and moves gently, with both beauty and awe present in spades.

A listen inspired by Mayer’s lifelong interest in Mozart, the contributions from the harpsichordist Vital Julian Frey and Fabian Muller’s piano, among others, makes for some of the best interpretations of Mozart’s work yet, which is no easy task.

Travels well with: Anna Netrebko- Amata Dalle Tenebre; Daniil Trifonov- BACH: The Art Of Life