Mozart: Die Zauberflöte arr. for wind ensemble

When Emperor Joseph II established a professional wind ensemble (or Harmonie) drawn from the Viennese court orchestra in 1782, he initiated an influential trend that gave composers an important opportunity to popularise their operatic music. The beautifully crafted Harmoniemusik arrangements of arias and choruses from Mozart ’s two last operatic masterpieces, Die Zauberflöte and La Clemenza di Tito, made by the composer’s contemporaries, Joseph Heidenreich and Joseph Triebensee, are superb examples of the genre. These pieces showcase both the extraordinary richness of Mozart ’s immortal music and the virtuosic talents of the serenading wind players.