Mozart: Lieder, Notturni

What a wonderful Surprise September 25, 2002 I wanted to get an album with Ellie Amling singing at least some Mozart songs or even arias. I was delighted to find this album and even more delighted when I started listening. The songs sparkle and she renders Mozart about as well as anyone ever did, I suspect. The nocturnes are more nocturne-like and I think they are just perfect. I got this album 6 months ago and it has been one of my favorite albums ever since. * * * Little Jewels from Mozart's Creative Workshop By A. Lukas, July 21, 2001 I find that Mozart's lieder are some of the most neglected pieces in his oevre. I bought this CD out of curiosity to hear what they sounded like and I was astounded and enlightened by what I heard. The music itself is Mozartian in style and beauty and it needs no introduction. Elly Ameling sings the leader with a light and airy voice that is perfectly suited to the repertoire. Due to the fact that she is German, the pronunciation sounds authentic. Her accompanist Dalton Baldwin does an excellent job with the often difficult piano parts and it seems to me that they had a ball when they made these recordings. Not only was there a piano accompanist that was excellent, but there are also two songs with mandolin accompaniment. The mandolinist Benny Ludemann gives us expertly performances. The Notturni on the other hand are not so satisfying. These are pieces that are composed for three voices and wind accompaniment. The soloists including Ameling, Peter van der Bilt, and Elisabeth Cooymans did very well but I think the Netherlands Wind Ensemble could have used some more clarinets and basset horns than the score requires. Somehow I felt that they were very weak performances.