Horst Stein and the Staatskapelle Dresden play Mozart

This 1991 concert from the Mozarteum places the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden under Horst Stein at the centre of a wide-ranging Mozart programme spanning symphonic, concertante and vocal works. Kurt Nikkanen is the soloist in the Violin Concerto No. 3, one of Mozart’s most graceful early concertos, while Ruth Ziesak appears in two concert arias that show the composer’s gift for vivid dramatic characterisation on a miniature scale. Framing the programme are two symphonies from different stages of Mozart’s development: the youthful Symphony No. 20 and the expansive ‘Linz’ Symphony, written at remarkable speed yet full of confidence and invention. A varied portrait of Mozart, shaped by musicians deeply at home in his idiom.