Mozart and the Organ

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[The F minor Fantasia, K608] is the highlight of this album: its swirling turns lead to a Baroque fugue which, after a quiet central interlude here on transparent flute, returns with a thrilling... — BBC Music Magazine, December 2023, 3 out of 5 stars (Performance) / 4 out of 5 stars (Recording) More…

Release Date: 8th Sep 2023
Catalogue No: LWC1257
Label: LAWO
Length: 74 minutes

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Usually despatched within 1 working day

Mozart: Church (Epistle) Sonata No. 1 in E flat major for organ & strings, K67

Work length1:37

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Anders Eidsten Dahl, Arvid Engegård, Atle Sponberg, Embrik Snerte

Mozart: Church (Epistle) Sonata No. 2 in B flat major for organ & strings, K68

Work length2:26

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Anders Eidsten Dahl, Arvid Engegård, Atle Sponberg, Embrik Snerte

Mozart: Church (Epistle) Sonata No. 3 in D major for organ & strings, K69

Work length2:31

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Anders Eidsten Dahl, Arvid Engegård, Atle Sponberg, Embrik Snerte

Mozart: Church (Epistle) Sonata No. 4 in D major for organ & strings, K144

Work length2:50

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Anders Eidsten Dahl, Arvid Engegård, Atle Sponberg, Embrik Snerte

Mozart: Church (Epistle) Sonata No. 5 in F major for organ & strings, K145

Work length2:26

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Anders Eidsten Dahl, Arvid Engegård, Atle Sponberg, Embrik Snerte

Mozart: Church (Epistle) Sonata No. 6 in B flat major for organ & strings, K212

Work length2:54

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$1.40

$1.75

Anders Eidsten Dahl, Arvid Engegård, Atle Sponberg, Embrik Snerte

Mozart: Church (Epistle) Sonata No. 9 in G major for organ & strings, K241

Work length2:24

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$1.40

$1.75

Anders Eidsten Dahl, Arvid Engegård, Atle Sponberg, Embrik Snerte

Mozart: Church (Epistle) Sonata No. 7 in F major for organ & strings, K224

Work length4:00

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Anders Eidsten Dahl, Arvid Engegård, Atle Sponberg, Embrik Snerte

Mozart: Church (Epistle) Sonata No. 8 in A major for organ & strings, K225

Work length3:44

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Anders Eidsten Dahl, Arvid Engegård, Atle Sponberg, Embrik Snerte

Mozart: Church (Epistle) Sonata No. 10 in F major for organ & strings, K244

Work length3:16

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Anders Eidsten Dahl, Arvid Engegård, Atle Sponberg, Embrik Snerte

Mozart: Church (Epistle) Sonata No. 11 in D major for organ & strings, K245

Work length3:23

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Anders Eidsten Dahl, Arvid Engegård, Atle Sponberg, Embrik Snerte

Mozart: Church Sonata in G Major, K. 274 / 271d

Work length3:04

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Anders Eidsten Dahl, Arvid Engegård, Atle Sponberg, Embrik Snerte

Mozart: Church (Epistle) Sonata No. 15 in C major for organ & strings, K328

Work length4:09

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Anders Eidsten Dahl, Arvid Engegård, Atle Sponberg, Embrik Snerte

Mozart: Church (Epistle) Sonata No. 17 in C major for organ & strings, K336

Work length4:27

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$1.40

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Anders Eidsten Dahl, Arvid Engegård, Atle Sponberg, Embrik Snerte

Mozart: Fantasia in F minor for a mechanical organ, K594

Work length13:04

$3.50

$4.90

$6.10

Anders Eidsten Dahl

I. Adagio

Track length2:45

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II. Allegro

Track length7:15

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$2.10

$2.60

III. Adagio

Track length3:04

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Mozart: Fantasia in F minor for a mechanical organ, K608

Work length10:51

$2.50

$3.50

$4.35

Anders Eidsten Dahl

I. Allegro

Track length3:09

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$1.40

$1.75

II. Andante - tempo primo

Track length7:42

$1.50

$2.10

$2.60

Mozart: Andante in F major, K616

Work length7:21

$1.50

$2.10

$2.60

Anders Eidsten Dahl

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About

In a letter to his father Leopold, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote of his relationship to the organ: "In my eyes and ears, the organ is the queen of instruments."

In spite of his enthusiasm for the instrument and the fact that Mozart himself liked to play the organ, he did not compose much music for "the queen of instruments". The organists of the day improvised when they played for mass, and the organ at that time was not a concert instrument in need of a wide-ranging repertoire.

Mozart's original music for organ consists of 17 one-movement "Epistle sonatas" -- chamber music written between 1772 and 1780 for masses in Salzburg. The instrumentation for 14 of these is two violins and basso continuo, while the remaining three are written for more instruments. The pieces are short -- this is music written to be played between the reading of texts. The organ is given an ever greater concertizing role from the first to the last, and the Sonata in C (K336) can be described as a small organ concerto.

In 1790 Mozart was commissioned to write music for what was known as a "Flotenuhr" -- a large grandfather clock containing a self-playing organ. The instrument was popular at the time -- there are also compositions for the instrument written by Handel, C.P.E. Bach and Haydn. Often the music was meant to describe an event or situation -- the music Mozart was commissioned to write was to be played in a wax museum in memory of Field Marshal Laudon. Mozart was not especially fond of the "Flotenuhr" as an instrument, yet the works are compositions of exceptionally high musical quality. Here the mature Mozart reveals his gifts as a contrapuntalist and his ability to create singable melodies and forward-looking harmonies. The pieces are virtuosic and to some extent must be arranged if they are to be played by someone performing them on the organ.

In addition to organist Anders Eidsten Dahl, the musicians playing on the 14 Church Sonatas are violinists Arvid Engegard and Atle Sponberg and bassoonist Embrik Snerte. Mozart's work for "Flotenuhr" was recorded in St. Margaret's Church in Oslo on an organ clearly inspired by southern German baroque organs.

Reviews

December 2023

[The F minor Fantasia, K608] is the highlight of this album: its swirling turns lead to a Baroque fugue which, after a quiet central interlude here on transparent flute, returns with a thrilling counter-subject. While Dahl does not have the throwaway exuberant virtuosity of Simon Preston, the crisp and reedy sound of his instrument is compelling.

Mar/Apr 2024

The performances of these 14 church sonatas are delightfully energetic and spirited, and the recorded sound is clear and airy.

Mozart and the Organ

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