Apart from the alliteration of Mozart and Mambo, there is little else in common on the surface. These musical spheres couldn’t be further apart, but when worlds collide, greatness can be achieved. In an attempt to bridge this musical chasm, French-horn virtuoso Sarah Willis brings together her musical passions while working hard to promote the young musicians of the Havana Lyceum Orchestra and conductor José Antonio Méndez Padrón. Founded in 2007 in collaboration with the Salzburg Mozarteum Foundation, this orchestra and its associated musicians have their feet in two musical cultures.
Opening the album in style, Willis begins with the Mozart concerto movement in E-b k.370b. The string sound is appropriately pleasant and Willis’ tone is full-bodied, her virtuosity clear. The performance brims with energy and her sense of enjoyment is equal to that of the orchestra’s. There is all the light and shade one expects from Mozart in an overall satisfying performance.
A seismic cultural shift follows in “Que Rico El Mambo”, the first “mambo” item and a piece for Havana Horns. The piece suits the talents of the young musicians aptly, and the percussion adds a Latin flavor. Yet this vivid piece, despite its energy, sits unconventionally and awkwardly between the elegance of the Mozart pieces bookending it. Another Mozart horn rarity comes after; the Rondo in E-flat K.371. Again the consistency in approach to the opening item is commendable, and Willis really does excel in phrasing her melodies. Interestingly, this Rondo includes extra 18 bars which were discovered in 1988. A touch of Latin in the cadenza (5:00) closes a lovely performance.
Continuing with this mashup of Mozart and Mambo is an arrangement of the opening movement of Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The recording favors Willis excessively. The saxophones and piano, which have many interesting lines, are overshadowed by the dominance of the French Horn, while the percussion, integral to this style of music, is too distant to appreciate.
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The return to Mozart is less startling in the Horn Concerto K.447. The reverberant acoustics are more suited to the “Classical” items, well-projecting the strings’ youthful simplicity of tone and sympathetic period essence. The orchestras’ enjoyment of this work is undoubted and they clearly relish the opportunity to be performing this work. When it comes to the Concerto, there is no ground-breaking approach or an attempt at uniqueness at any cost; there’s just wonderful music-making.
The transition from the concerto into the concluding sequence of Latin-style pieces is considerably more sensitive, with a piece entitled “Rondo alla Mambo”. Based on the third movement of Mozart’s Horn Concerto just heard, this charismatic arrangement is more successful in fusing mambo rhythms with the classical elegance than the previous Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The cinematic “Dos Gardenias” (track 9) brings a welcome respite from the intoxicating rhythmic drive of the mambo pieces with a down tempo, smooth jazz groove and an altogether nocturnal ambience. “El Manisero” (10) is taken live at Oratorio San Felipe Neri, Havana and includes exciting improvisation sections, an energetic closure to the album.
An overall enjoyable listen, then, even if the programming could have been handled with a little more sensitivity to ensure a smoother listening experience. The booklet contains a personal text by Willis about the links between Mozart and Cuba, with a short and to-the-point background material and lovely photos from the streets of Havana by photographer Monika Rittershaus.
“Mozart y Mambo”
Sarah Willis – Horn
Havana Lyceum Orchestra
José Antonio Méndez Padrón – Conductor
Alpha Classics, CD ALPHA 578
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