Gidon Kremer, Kremerata Baltica - After Mozart (2005)

The performances on this CD are superb. They are especially successful at bringing out the playful side of the Mozartian musical vision -- not only as shown in the obviously experimental pieces by other composers, but also in how the more-familiar pieces by Mozart are interpreted and recorded (e.g., the cadenzas in the final movement of the "Serenata Notturna"). Less impressive is the way these pieces fit together. The Kremerata Baltica do bring out the essential commonality of the music, but that commonality is sometimes overwhelmed by the prominent idiosyncracies: the Raskatov contribution with its keening violin, the somber Silvestrov piece floating in from far away on a windy day, the jarring familiarity of "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" in the middle of works you're likely hearing for the first time, and especially the loudly recorded toy sounds interpersed throughout Leopold Mozart's symphony. Not to say that these distracting traits make for bad music -- Gidon Kremer's playing on the Andante is particularly lovely -- or that someone listening closely to the CD would find these traits objectionable. But potential buyers at least should be aware that they will not be getting the sort of Mozart disc that people put on as background music so that they can relax and drink a cup of chamomile tea. You'll need to approach it with the same playfulness that Mozart often exhibited in his compositions.