Filmed mainly in Vienna's splendid "Musikvereinssaal," the Mozart
symphonies conducted by Karl Böhm are all interpreted by one of the world's
foremost orchestras, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, whose principal
conductors have included Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, Herbert von
Karajan, Claudio Abbado and, of course, Karl Böhm. "Thanks to Bruno
Walter's exemplary performances, particularly of Mozart's works, I grabbed
on to Mozart and fell in love with him so much that I had only one wish: to
conduct Mozart, Mozart, Mozart." (Karl Böhm)
Unhappy with his situation in Salzburg, Mozart undertook a journey to
Mannheim and Paris with his mother in 1778. The trip was overshadowed by
tragedy - Mozart's mother died in Paris - and was almost a complete
failure. Almost, for it did give birth to a masterpiece like the "Paris
Symphony," written for the illustrious "Concerts Spirituels." Knowing of
the Parisians' taste for brilliance and splendor, Mozart wrote a grand
symphony for large orchestra, glowing with mellow woodwinds and ablaze
with brass.
Karl Böhm was universally acclaimed for his Mozart interpretations. Though
Wagner was one of Böhm's first loves, his friendship with Richard Strauss
led to a deep knowledge and appreciation of Mozart. In his autobiography,
Böhm wrote that "Richard Strauss revealed to me the ultimate secrets of
this, in my opinion, greatest of all musical geniuses, Mozart." Filmed in
Vienna's splendid "Musikvereinssaal", this work is interpreted by the
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the orchestra with which Böhm made many of
his finest recordings.
The DVD is also released within the complete "Mozart / Böhm" DVD package which is available in selected stores worldwide and through Amazon or JPC.