Julie Adam, Daniel Herscovitch, Australia Ensemble - Mozart Arranged (2014) CD-Rip

This double album is full of surprises and puts Mozart’s music into a new perspective fully realising the limitless adaptability of his music, as was commonplace in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Mozart Arranged is a journey through adaptations and arrangements of Mozart’s chamber music from his Grande Sestetto Concertante and Clarinet Quintet, through to adaptations of his piano sonatas for two pianos by Norwegian Edvard Grieg. The performances here are all arrangements of music that Mozart would have most certainly approved.

Mozart’s sonatas arranged for two pianos are more ‘adaptations’ than arrangements. Grieg augments the original sonatas, Mozart’s original remains unaltered as the primo piano and the Grieg influence is in the second piano part serves to contemporise the sonatas - 19th century crossover - and as Grieg was also a very capable pianist these are very considered works. When first released back in 1990s this recording from Julie Adam and Daniel Herschovitch was a world premiere recording, their performances here very much conveying Grieg and Mozart in dialogue, speaking and listening to each other.

The Australia Ensemble is the establishment chamber ensemble in Australia. All musicians are instrumental leaders in their field and although recorded in the 1990s all members remain with the ensemble some 20 years later. Violinist Dene Olding is currently concert-master of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and a noted soloist and founder for the Goldner String Quartet. Dimity Hall has a love of chamber music having been principal second violin of the Australian Chamber Orchestra as well as violinist in the Goldner String Quartet, along with violist Irina Morozova and cellist Julian Smiles.