Rock Me Amadeus

This is the kind of cd that I wouldn't buy these days but it was one of my first purchases when I began to get interested in classical music. A double cd called Amadeus The Essential Mozart Collection, it features what are now commonly called "bleeding chunks", or a sort of greatest hits. The sort of thing that would be owned by people who maybe only have one or two classical recordings. Having said that, it is reasonably sensibly put together and the performances are good. Much of the orchestral work is from the Academy of St Martin in the Fields under Neville Marriner and there are soloists of the quality of for instance pianist Mitsuko Uchida. The first cd is subtitled Orchestral and Instrumental Treasures, with the tuneful bits from various piano concertos and sonatas, horn, clarinet and oboe concertos, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, the tedious Musical Joke, a couple of movements from symphonies etc. Disk two is called Operatic and Choral favourites and has excerpts from for example the Requiem, Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, Marriage of Figaro etc plus a couple of overtures. The sort of album to put on while occupied with preparing a meal or something similar.