Sonata in C major, KV 296
Sonata in G major, KV 379
Sonata in E minor, KV 304
Sonata in B flat major, KV 378

With the hundreds upon hundreds of Mozart recordings saturating the market right now, if anyone is to release yet another recording, this is the way to do it. By concentrating on high production values, not only superlative audio standards, but authenticity, fresh interpretations and even product packaging as well, you present the listening public with a new recording that doesn't sound, or even look, like the other multitude of Mozart Violin Sonata releases. And that's exactly what the young, small, independent Polish classical music label Prelude Classics has managed to do exceptionally well.

Michal Bryla, owner and operator of Prelude Classics, who is also the viola player for the Meccore String Quartet, claims that he was responsible for the recording, editing and mastering, and that the whole project was hand-crafted. With a copy of the CD in hand, I can unreservedly vouch for the meticulous attention to detail and ease of use. The cover image you see on the left is the cover of the inside booklet and the Amazon link below it will direct you to a download page. But if you visit the aforementioned Prelude Classics website, you can purchase the 192 kHz/24bit gold-colored CD, which comes in a brightly orange-colored hard cardboard case which opens like a book, and holds two independent pockets for the extensive booklet and the CD itself. I'm talking top-notch presentation standards here.

The first thing I immediately noticed about the sound quality of this recording is its presence and highly tangible qualities. The two instruments don't just emanate from the speaker enclosures, but rather sound as if they are in the room just a few feet away. The sound of the fortepiano, built after an 1805 instrument by Walter & Sohn, is so authentic that at times, like in the Allegro of the Sonata in G major it almost sounds like a harpsichord. And this bite, combined with the commanding sound of the violin copied after a 1675 F. Ruggieri instrument, make for a sonic image that you could almost cut through. And it goes without saying that both Aleksandra Bryla (violin) and Monika Wozniak (fortepiano) provide highly expressive as well as honestly unadorned readings of the music at hand.

Mozart served up with loving care and a touch of class!