MOZART’S ALPHA OG OMEGA We are proud to present WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne’s first release on the LAWO Classics label! On this CD we hear the orchestra’s own soloists, Ole Kristian Dahl and Thorsten Johanns, playing Mozart’s first and last wind concertos, under the direction of conductors Karl Heinz Steffens and Eivind Aadland, respectively. The recordings were made during concerts in the Stadthalle in Wupperthal and the WDR concert hall in Cologne.

The Norwegian bassoonist, Ole Kristian Dahl, has been principal bassoon of WDR Symphony Orchestra since 2002. He is also known for his many solo concerts and chamber music performances. The Bassoon Concerto in B-Flat Major was the first woodwind concerto Mozart wrote, and it is perhaps the most frequently performed bassoon concerto today. The fanfare-like opening by the orchestra is repeated by the soloist, before he explores the entire register in eager delight, under the expert direction of of conductor Karl-Heinz Steffens.

In the Clarinet Concerto in A Major, Mozart’s last completed composition, poetry and joie de vivre pour from the clarinet. In keeping with the times, the themes are based on the simplest building blocks of music, scales and triads, but from them the dying master creates something most moving and beautiful. WDR’s principal clarinet, Thorsten Johanns, collaborates here with the Norwegian conductor, Eivind Aadland.

Founded in 1947, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne is one of Europe’s leading broadcast orchestra. It has had successful concert tours of Europe, North and South America, and Asia, and it has achieved international stature for its interpretations of Shostakovich, R. Strauss, Rachmaninoff, Verdi, and Wagner.