The Kölner Akademie and its conductor, Michael Alexander Willens, have sometimes used historical instruments. Here, the instruments seem to be modern, but the approach is still that of the historical performance movement, with crisp attacks and generally brisk tempos. Willens' textures are transparent enough to bring out inner counterpoint but not, as in so many historically oriented performances, enough so to shortchange the strings. Some of these pieces, of course, are among the most familiar Mozart pieces, and indeed the most familiar in the entire classical repertory; listeners wanting to hear the overture to Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492, will find a rapid but graceful reading here. However, this is also a generous selection of overtures, and a close focus on the early Mitridate, re di Ponto, K. 87, composed when Mozart was 14, reveals its striking ambition and the speed with which Mozart was absorbing influence from his older composer friend, Josef Myslive¿ek. One might even ask why Willens did not include the overtures to some of the other earlier Mozart pieces, inasmuch as the album clocks in at only 62 minutes. In some cases, there is a question as to whether a work should be classified as an opera, but the overture to Bastien und Bastienne, K. 50, which seems known to Beethoven as he was composing the "Eroica" Symphony, has its charms. In any event, the album was cleanly recorded by the BIS label at Cologne Radio, and it provides a peppy hour of Mozart for anyone. It landed on classical best-seller charts in early 2024. ~ James Manheim