The Press notes for his new album, played by the European Union Chamber Orchestra (conducted by Santiago Mantas) open by saying “Mozart’s wind serenades need little introduction as … true works of genius,” describing the performance as “fine”, all but making a review redundant. It’s Mozart, it’s played well, what more is there to say?

Mozart completists should know that Mantas has prepared a new performing edition of the E flat serenade (K375) to correct errors introduced by a printer at some point, so this is the first recording of the complete serenade as intended by Mozart.

All that can be said is that it’s a pleasure from start to finish, the music getting the listener in the zone from the first second; it’s the kind of music to prompt a mental impression of someone doing a spot of air conducting in a blissful rapture, eyes closed. It’s slightly melancholy but very calming. We tend to avoid the big beasts of classical music, preferring the more undisturbed corners of composition; we’ve had more pleasure this week from Peter Hope’s Wind Blown Sonatas For Wind Instruments, out on the same label next month, but Mozart is still Mozart, and this is excellent.

Out now on Divine Art, dda 25136. It features the serenade in B flat major, K361 (Gran Partita) and the serenade in E flat major, K375.

This is also the 200th album we’ve reviewed this year. Go us.

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