In honor of the 250th anniversary of the birth of
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Universal Music went through its archive of recordings on the Philips, Decca, and Deutsche Grammophon labels to assemble this collection exclusively for iTunes.
Mozart 250 is actually 254 tracks of music by the brilliant Austrian composer, presented in complete performances in most cases. Every genre in which he wrote is well represented, from concertos and operas to serenades and symphonies, motets and masses to sonatas and string quartets. The caliber of talent presented here is extremely high, given the history of the labels involved. The
Vienna and
Berlin Philharmonics, the
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the
Metropolitan Opera, are just a few of the ensembles included here. The vocalists include soprano
Barbara Hendricks, mezzo-soprano
Anne Sofie von Otter, tenor Juan Diego Floréz, and baritone
Bryn Terfel, while the instrumentalists are represented by pianists
Alfred Brendel and
Maria João Pires, violinists
Itzhak Perlman and
Pinchas Zukerman, the
Emerson String Quartet, and many more. This is no mere compilation for the casual listener. It is a collection meant to be appreciated by the true
Mozart fan living in the digital age.