Mozart’s Wind Serenades are among his most joyful and melodious compositions, and this fine performance by the young musicians of the EUCO Wind Octet certainly displays the exuberance and high spirits of the young composer. The Gran Partita, K361, needs little introduction, being so popular. Its seven movements make it one of Mozart’s most extended chamber works.

K375, in E flat major, has an interesting history revealed in the album booklet. Originally written for sextet, Mozart revised it for Octet, but when the score was published, it was found that a large part of the second minuet had been omitted, and a spurious bar added. This is the first recording (as far as we know) of the Octet version as Mozart intended.

Santiago Mantas has toured over thirty countries as both conductor and concert pianist, and is also a successful composer of music for feature films and documentaries. He has been preparing a performing edition of Schumann’s Fourth Piano Sonata, of which the sketches were recently discovered.