Sicilienne

The Supreme Decorator

 

 

The Cast

Majella Cullagh
Diana Montague
Elizabeth Futral

The Hanover Band
Conductor -
Sir Charles Mackerras

International Record Review

'In 'Mozart the Decorator' Sir Charles Mackerras guides three of Opera Rara's finest singers through spectacular examples of Mozart's skill at embellishing a vocal line...

All 12 tracks on this generously full CD act not only as evidence of Classical composers' skills in writing engagingly for the voice, they also show off to admiration the abilities of Diana Montague, Majella Cullagh and Futral (as well as the well-honed and stylish playing of the Hanover Band)...

This is a marvellous CD.'

Registered charity number: 258224

31 July 2010 

The Peter Moores Foundation supports projects which come to the attention of its Patron, or Trustees, through their interests and special knowledge. General applications for grants are not encouraged and are unlikely to succeed

Sir Charles Mackerras writes in the programme notes that:
'Mozart was often inspired by another composer’s work and determined to write a composition in similar style. In doing so he often transformed a quite pleasant and charming original into pure gold, so that it became a work of genius.

© Peter Moores Foundation 2004

Mozart particularly admired the music of his somewhat senior contemporary, Johann Christian Bach, the only member of that vast musical family to excel in the operatic genre... even though his own teenage operas such as Mitridate and Lucio Silla already surpass Bach’s in terms of ensemble writing, musical characterisation and orchestration.

Mozart came to coach the lovely and brilliant Aloysia Weber. He first met the budding young soprano when she was 17 and he 21 and he fell head over heels in love with her. He did everything to try and please her by composing music specially for her and adapting his own previously written music to suit her. He also wrote a set of embellishments for her so that she could try them and see which of them best suited her voice. Today we can profit from our knowledge of Mozart’s ornamentation and apply it to others of his vocal works.'