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Peasant Wedding & Toy Symphony
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Leopold Mozart

Peasant Wedding & Toy Symphony

Ton Koopman / Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra

Label: Challenge Classics
Format: CD
Barcode: 0608917226621
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Catalog number: CC 72266
Releasedate: 05-05-17
 
  • The totally renewed re-issue of an enjoyable and funny disc by Mozart father & son
  • Rare heard music, played with wit and humor by Ton Koopman’s orchestra
  • Do enjoy the use of non-classical period instruments such as hurdy-gurdy or bagpipe!
The influence of Leopold Mozart on his son Wolfgang Amadeus
This album attempt to show how Leopold Mozart could have influenced his well-known son Wolfgang Amadeus by placing the most famous works of Leopold Mozart against the early works of Wolfgang Amadeus. These works are performed by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra led by Ton Koopman, and Tini Mathot on pianoforte.

One side note, while Die Bauernhochzeit and Cassatio ex ("toy symphony") are considered to be works by Leopold Mozart by the creators of this album, others argue the "toy symphony" must have been composed by Joseph Haydn or Edmund Angerer. There is little consensus within the musicological debate. 

Leopold's compositions are characterised by the simplicity. He also often uses unusual instruments to create different timbres in his compositions. In Die Bauernhochzeit, for example, you can hear a bagpipe and musicians are instructed to clap and cheer along during the performance. 

The works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on this album are his Symphony in E-flat, the Twelve Variations on ‘Ah, vous dirai-je maman’ and the fugue from his Gallimathias musicum. The latter was composed for the inaugeration of Willem V as the governor of the Dutch Republic. The Symphony in E-flat is Mozart's first symphony. This is a nicely composed miniature work, even though it is an experiment in a new genre.