Matthias Bamert’s Contemporaries of Mozart project is one of Chandos’ longest-running and most successful recording series. Mozart’s unquestionable genius has tended to eclipse the work of many otherwise excellent composers who were writing at the same time as he. Often successful in their day, many of these composers fell into neglect over subsequent decades and were in some cases almost forgotten. Matthias Bamert has shown just how rich this area of the repertoire is, and each of his CDs received superb critical acclaim. This uniquely compiled set comprises five of his most successful CDs in the series – much of this music is not easily available elsewhere – and provides an ideal introduction – and at bargain price. Each symphony (by Krommer, Stamitz, Pleyel, Kozeluch and Wranitzky), full of classically elegant melodies and stylishly orchestrated, is imbued with a variety of imaginative touches to keep the listener on his toes!