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Mozart: Serenade No. 10 - Gateway Chamber Ensemble

Mozart: Serenade No. 10 - Gateway Chamber Ensemble

Summit Records  SACD538

Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid

Classical


Mozart: Serenade in B flat major K.361/370a "Gran Partita", Richard Strauss: Serenade in E flat major Op. 7

Gateway Chamber Ensemble
Gregory Wolynec (conductor)

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Review by John Broggio - April 26, 2010

I came with a great deal of hope to this disc which has sadly not been repaid by the playing.

For those that are unfamiliar with either piece, you are lucky to have such riches awaiting your aural pleasure. Both the Strauss but especially the Mozart are works of genius that are beautiful throughout without the merest hint of indulgence and cannot be praised too highly. I wish the same could be said for the performances but they sadly come across as technically perfect yet boring recreations of the notes. At times one will hear a slightly new variant on a familiar strain but all too often the proceedings relapse into a luxuriating blandness that robs all the vitality from the works. Incredibly, these players manage to make one of Mozart's most joyous and bubbly finale's sound tame and the pulse only quickens because the frustration that this causes, not the elation that should be felt. I was reminded of a school performance as the phrasing was minimal and under-characterised, yet there were no intonation problems.

The recording is good, with a great deal of clarity yet somehow there is little atmosphere present from the acoustic without sounding dry. A conundrum!

Lovely as the music is, this disc cannot really be widely recommended. Controversial though I found it, Mozart: Serenade No. 10 - Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, is far more exciting and enjoyable as a performance and as an experience (even though I hope another label will provide a 'safer' choice in the not too distant future).

(Purchased.)

Copyright © 2010 John Broggio and HRAudio.net

Performance:

Sonics (Multichannel):

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Review by John Miller - January 24, 2012

Like me, you might not have heard of the Gateway Chamber Ensemble. They are a variably-staffed group of instrumentalists based around Tennessee's Austin Peay State University's performing faculty, and since their début in 2008 have earned International acclaim, including plaudits for this disc.

Mozart's Serenade for 12 Wind instruments and double bass, K361, is one of several in this usually light-music genre which have a more serious content and purpose. Based on the Austrian tradition of Harmoniemusik, an octet of woodwinds and horns which played divertimenti at outdoors social events, it took both the instrumentation and the scale and quality of the music to a new level. Still awaiting a confirmed date of composition, it was probably composed between 1781 and 1784, the early years in Vienna including his marriage with Constanze Weber. The oft-quoted story that the Serenade was written for and performed at his wedding reception is now proved apocryphal. It has seven movements; an introductory Largo introduction to an Allegro molto, two minuets with double trios, two Adagios, one subtitled Romanze, and a final Rondo, Allegro molto.

Instrumentation comprises 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 basset horns (a single-reeded clarinet relative with an extended lower range), four horns, two bassoons and a contra-bassoon or double bass. This ensemble provides a more sonorous and deeper tonal range than the usual Harmoniemusik, and is used expertly by Mozart. From a playing point of view, however, it offers considerable challenges. Even the modern versions of these instruments can misbehave, not just in tuning but in clashes between the relative sets of overtones generated by the different bores and methods of tone production (single vs double reeds). This applies even more to the instruments of Mozart's time. Excellent recordings on period instruments include those by Bruggen and Herreweghe on RBCD, which are well worth comparing with the modern versions - listen especially to the natural horns, or "Waldhorns" as Mozart called them.

I am pleased to report that in the case of the Gateway Ensemble's tuning, it is one of the most impeccable on record, with a balance that avoids most of the harmonic clashes without removing the characters of each instrument. Competition is fierce in recordings, with Bruggen, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Academy of St Martin in the Fields providing first class performances, and on SACD a fine version by the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble (Mozart: Serenade No. 10 - Nederlands Blazers Ensemble).

Comparing timings, the Gateway are up to 1 min slower than the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble in each movement except the Rondo finale, where they are almost a minute faster. Bruggen has the slowest first movement. So spontaneous and natural is the Gateway's approach that I never felt for a moment that their tempi were dragging or lacking in rhythmic lift; the music is simply allowed to breath. Their minuets are full of humour, with impish oboes, toe-tapping rhythms and well-shaped phrasing, while slow movements flow elegantly and eloquently. Most importantly, the players make subtle changes of emphasis and dynamics in the repeats, a matter of great importance in this work, since all movements (except the first adagio) have many repeated sections. In fact, about 30% of the whole Serenade is made from repeats and, without some help from the players, the listener can begin to flag. I found every moment of the Gateway's playing to be delightful vintage Mozart, quite captivating.

The 17-year old Richard Strauss was certainly inspired by Mozart's K361. Even at this age, he wrote with great skill for woodwind and brass, no doubt schooled intensely by his Father Franz, a professional orchestral horn player. Strauss' Serenade Op. 7 is a lush Romantic piece in one movement, in form and mood effectively an embryonic tone-poem.

The addition of flutes to the oboes, clarinets, four horns, bassoons and a tuba (with a double bass required for the last two measures only!) adds a lightness and sweetness in contrast to the darker, richer sound of Mozart's Serenade. with more than nods towards Brahms, it is full of drama, with long crescendos and loud, passionate climaxes. Here the Gateway players relish the perfumed harmonies, and build up to the emotional peaks by palpably increasing the tension without pressing the tempo. Brogli-Sacher's version (Rarities. Chamber Musical - Brogli-Sacher) speeds up these climaxes, pushing them forward (possibly implying youthful impatience), but this is not directed by the composer. The Gateway Ensemble makes a fine case for Strauss' early works.

The SoundMirror recording has great presence and good balance, with the horns distanced somewhat to avoid overwhelming the woodwind. There are very few key-clicks and some audible intakes of breath, but I would have liked to had more of a distinct acoustic to give the ensemble a sense of scale (Brogli-Sacher's and the Netherlander's recordings both have much more air around them, appropriate for an instrumental ensemble designed for outdoor spaces). However, some listeners will welcome the vivid presence and detail of this recording.

For a period instrument version of the Mozart Serenade, I find Bruggen to be essential. The Gateway find a happy compromise between soulful expression and tongue-in-cheek humour so characteristic of Mozart, making this disc a desirable account for modern instruments. Unlike the Netherlander's Mozart disc, there is a substantial and most enjoyable extra in the form of Strauss' Serenade to be considered.

Copyright © 2012 John Miller and HRAudio.net

Performance:

Sonics (Stereo):

Sonics (Multichannel):

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