Ana de la Vega: My Mozart Top Five
In an exclusive playlist, Australian flautist Ana de la Vega shares the Mozart recordings that have inspired her.
Read more…Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat major KV 482 – Daniel Barenboim, English Chamber Orchestra
My first choice is Daniel Barenboim's legendary Mozart concertos with the English Chamber Orchestra. This is the ECO at its absolute best. The exquisite introduction to the slow movement is responsible for my choice, as well as the tranquil section in the third movement. It is simply breathtaking, and this is exactly why the ECO is considered one of, if not the greatest, chamber orchestras in the world, and why I always dreamt of playing with them. Barenboim’s playing is unbelievable … as always. His slight delaying of time and placement of notes creates such suspense and intense emotion – this genius yet subtle approach to timing forever inspires me.
Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major KV 216 – Henryk Szeryng, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Alexander Gibson
There's something so stoic and posed about the way Szeryng plays Mozart. He, like many of these old-school guys, gives a misleading impression: they can look unmoved when you see them on video, but you close your eyes and you hear such full emotion, tenderness, love and vibrancy. His Mozart is not only exquisite in terms of style and character, but also in terms of facility. Listen to how perfect it is: unbelievable musicality, a rich singing tone and flawless tuning – his technical tool-box is a total knockout and to be envied by any instrumentalist! One learns so much from listening to other instruments: the trick is to go beyond your own instrument's technical challenges and take it into the realm of magic and emotion. As other instrumentalists are not facing the same challenges we are, you get closer to the ideal.
Concerto for Flute and Harp KV 299 – Jean-Pierre Rampal, Lily Laskine, Orchestre de Chambre Jean-François Paillard, Jean-François Paillard
It all started with this recording. I was seven years old and playing in the garden on our farm in the Australian countryside. I'd never heard classical music before and when this came on the radio I totally froze and cried, "Mummy, daddy, I have to do that!" Every moment in my life since then has been about chasing what I heard that day. So when I decided to be a flautist, I had never seen a flute. This recording, and the second movement in particular, rendered me choice-less as to what I had to do with my life, and it was because of Rampal and the French school of flute playing that I went to Paris to study. Although when I finally arrived in Paris 18 years later, I was 2 years too late – Rampal had already passed away. There is so much joy and giving in his playing. He fills my heart full every time.
Piano Sonata No 10 in C major KV 330 – Vladimir Horowitz
I love this performance of the Sonata KV 330 from Horowitz's 'Return to Moscow'. This legendary concert was also filmed, and so one can so clearly see what this phenomenal man is capable of doing to people: you see stern looking army generals in Soviet Russia of 1986, with tears just streaming down their faces. When I was growing up, I didn't have much access to music; I was at boarding school and we were only allowed CD players for 1 hour a day. Considering I shared a room with many other teenage girls, Horowitz playing piano sonatas was not going to win air time over AC/DC! I discovered the magic of recordings later on when I had my own room. This was actually the first recording my husband-to-be gave to me on our first date. Starry-eyed I rushed home and listened to the whole album and was absolutely astonished. I didn't know the piano could have so many voices – there is a whole opera cast and an orchestra in his hands! Horowitz teaches me what true legerity is, as well as to allow and create space while you play – energetically, emotionally and musically – to bring out the different voices and the different lines.
Opera Duets – Cecilia Bartoli, Bryn Terfel, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Myung-Whun Chung
Goosebumps! Beginning and end of it. You can hear so much love in this collaboration, both in the roles they are singing and between them as collaborators (or at least they convince us so!). Flute playing takes a lot of inspiration from voice and Cecilia Bartoli is absolutely awe-inspiring. There is true sincerity and honesty supporting her incredible timbre with all its rich colour, beauty and vivacity. The same honesty is found with Bryn Terfel who also moves me in such a deeply heartfelt way. It is so natural and powerful without ever being forced. These two represent the very best of their vocal genre and for me their interpretations of these Mozart masterworks are uncontested.