Do you love Mozart?

[Florestan]

Do you love Mozart, as opposed to just liking him?

For all his genius, it strikes me that people are generally not passionate about him in the way they are about, say, Bach.

Or maybe it's just me. I feel that I should appreciate Mozart more than I do. Not that I dislike him; I am just a bit indifferent.

I am sure this is due to ignorance on my part. I am probably 'doing it wrong' in some way or just lacking the interpretative skills to appreciate him properly.

So who is a real Mozart aficionado?

[The Conductor]

Originally Posted by Perfect Fifth

So who is a real Mozart aficionado?

Me. But he's a clever-cloggs, so gets people's backs up. Try this: 2nd movement from the flute & harp concerto. Be interested to know what you think: very sweet and naive - less of the showing off.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRVzdwDgegQ"]YouTube - Mozart Flute & Harp Concerto 2nd movement[/ame]

[allegro]

I like him too, but he can sound cold, especially the later works. But the harp concerto's a good example of warmth. But I've been influenced by the film 'Amadeus' which probably gives a totally false impression!

The humiliation of Salieri

[Florestan]

I listened to that and it is lovely, but where's the passion?

I like a bit more sturm und drang.

[elle-sophocles]

Try listening to his Requiem. My school choir performed it two years ago with a professional orchestra, and it's quite an experience. Also get hold of some mozart sheet music if you can and try and analyse it, harmonically, structurally, etc. It's genius.

('Amadeus' was, in my opinion, an abomination - but that's another story)

[Florestan]

Originally Posted by elle-sophocles

Try listening to his Requiem. My school choir performed it two years ago with a professional orchestra, and it's quite an experience. Also get hold of some mozart sheet music if you can and try and analyse it, harmonically, structurally, etc. It's genius.

('Amadeus' was, in my opinion, an abomination - but that's another story)

I will! Thanks!

Years ago my school choir did Carmina Burana with two other local schools and an orchestra. It was horrible.

I've never seen Amadeus.

[Herzeleide]

The Requiem is excellent, and features lots of contrapuntal trickery, for example the Kyrie is a double fugue, and sounds very similar to something out of Handel's Messiah.

There's great joy and beauty to much of Mozart, and all the good stuff (and most the bad) makes me want to sing along, regardless of the genre. There's a great amount of innovation too. There's a great deal to Mozart, but I can't help but feel he lacks the depth of someone like Bach.

[Apocalipstick]

I just find mozart sort of twee. I'll probably get banned for that.

[Aiantas]

I go through phases of really enjoying Mozart and then I can't stand a note for ages. The amazing thing is that there is so much in Mozart to like and it's surrounded by a lot of boring classical manerism but these bits manage to shine out. For example in the c minor wind Serenade the second movement is just in another league only because of a few passing chords which defy analysis and which a lesser composer would have tried to find a way around! And the slow movement from the A major piano concerto (I can't remember the Koechel numbers) which is in F sharp minor; there's a passage with some harmonies which blow you away - just a few notes but that's enough! There are hundreds of these 'Mozart moments' which always win me back. But the same goes for Mahler. I have had a hunch for many years now that Mozart find his true Romantic continuation in Mahler whereas Beethoven finds his in Brukner. Any views on musical lineages like this: Bach - Beethoven - Brahms - Brukner - Hindemith, versus Vivaldi - Mozart - Mendelssohn - Mahler - Berg?
FC

[Florestan]

I don't really know enough to say but it's a wonderful idea.

If some of you want to work out the details I'd love to present them here in graphic form - rather like those rock family trees, only for classical. It would be great.

And of course not everyone would agree so it would be like those top 50s that always make people jump up and down.