Fairytales and Folklore

After a sombre opening, the overture to Mozart’s most enduring opera skips off in a gleeful, fugal allegro and is notable for the brilliant use of counterpoint and dynamic contrasts. More of a suite than a concerto, Václav Trojan’s Fairy Tales is full of appealing and catchy melodies. The seven short movements each describe a fairy-tale character, such as the sleeping princess, the charming prince and the evil dragon. Thomas de Hartmann’s charmin...