Mozart / Hindemith / Mendelssohn

Captured live at Vienna’s glorious Musikverein, and exclusive to Apple Music, this concert of three contrasting works brings out the best of the Vienna Philharmonic (VPO)—and in particular from its magnificent brass section. Mozart’s “Haffner” Symphony is repertoire familiar to the VPO. Riccardo Muti takes its first movement a touch slower than usual, which makes the sudden appearance of minor-key clouds in its central section all the more striking. Muti’s care over the work is also evident in the third movement “Menuetto”, in which, following Mozart’s original manuscript, he cuts the usually played final two notes. The Mozart proves a surprisingly effective preface for Hindemith’s modernist Konzertmusik, Op. 50. Unusually scored for just brass and strings, it was composed in 1930 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The Viennese brass sound magnificent in their punchy delivery of Hindemith’s jazzed-up chorales, while the strings cover themselves in glory in the unexpected lament which appears midway through the second movement. With Mendelssohn’s “Reformation” Symphony, the entire orchestra shines, with glowing woodwind complementing both the VPO’s rich string tone and the organ-like brass. It is a difficult work to pull off, but Muti and his musicians reveal both its purposefulness and essential dignity.