Some further thoughts to stir the pot on the subject of Mozart ....
I would conjecture that at least some, possibly most, of the few critics of Mozart's music who have surfaced in this thread are mainly basing their negative perceptions on having explored only a narrow selection of his entire output. This might possibly be as narrow as a few symphonies and maybe a couple of his better known concertos, at most.
It might possibly be as narrow as a few symphonies and a couple of his better known concerti, but in my case, it is not. While I own only a handful of Mozart recordings personally, I spend quite a bit of time listening to classical radio, either in the car or at home or over the internet. I listen mostly to KUSC in Los Angeles online. They even have an hour devoted to Mozart every afternoon. So, I have heard my fair share of Mozart beyond the symphonies and concerti: opera, quartets, sonate, etc. While I will not claim to have heard every work that flowed from Mozart's quill (which wouldn't be necessary anyway to form an opinion) nor can I name with exactitude every work I have heard (I don't know what number that symphony was...I just know it was by Mozart), I have been around long enough (at least one year longer than you, Artemis...not that it matters, just sayin') to know that, in the cultivation of my musical tastes, Mozart is persona non grata. This is simply a matter of personal taste and not of ignorance. An appreciation of classical music and of Mozart are not one and the same, despite what ANYONE says. How do I know this? Well, look at this thread. We have several members who obviously love classical music so much that they spend (waste?) their time in this forum talking about the art they love so much. I'd imagine anyone who takes the time to participate in such a forum probably is more knowledgeable and and cultivated than the average classical listener, so their (an my) opinions of Mozart simply cannot be based on some sort of ignorance. I think it is more ignorant to think that there is no such thing as intelligent classical music fans who don't like every single damn "mainstream" composer, Mozart CERTAINLY included.
I say this partly on general observations I have made about such people on my travels around this and other message boards, and partly on the specific situation regarding the most vociferous critic here, whose favourite composer wrote very little of any value outside the orchestral sphere. I would guess that these people have hardly delved, if at all into, into Mozart's quite vast array of other works including his many highly rated chamber works, piano solo, various sacred works, smaller scale choral works, let alone any of his large number of splendid operas.
The assertion that those who don't like Mozart only like "romantic" composers or purely orchestral composers may make some sense and I won't deny that you have observed this. While I myself prefer works for full orchestra over smaller formats, let's not make the assumption, at least in my case, that I am only limited to orchestral bombast. I love chamber music and I do not limit myself to 19th century romanticism. Notwithstanding, I don't see how exploring Mozart's chamber works would make any lick of difference. Are they better than his orchestral works?
I suspect that the reason for this is that these other genres don't interest them to anything like the extent certain types of orchestral music do. Thus, what they're really saying is that they don't much care for the kind of music Mozart wrote. The fact that Mozart is by far the most revered composer of the Classical era simply makes him the number one target for their attacks. In short, these people have a narrow musical focus and do not have the wherewithal necessary to appreciate the virtues of a composer like Mozart who excelled in all these other genres.
While I am not crazy for Haydn, I do enjoy much of what he has written. His 86th Symphony comes to mind immediately as a wonderful work. His "Emperor" quartet is popular, and I can see why...it is exquisite. I've enjoyed some of the piano concerti of Paisiello and Cherubini has captivated me. These are all composers of the classical period, yet I am lumping (genuine) praise on them. So period has nothing to do with it in my case. It seems that I really just don't like Mozart then. It's to so much I do not like the kind of music he wrote...it's more simple than that...I do not like the music he wrote, period.
And your statement about the "narrow musical focus" is the classsic "you don't understand" or "you are not educated enough" argument. Really, where do you get off making this judgment against others. Are you claiming that you are not narrow-minded but I am? How could you possibly go there? Again, I personally find it narrow to think that one MUST love Mozart in order to have any valid musical taste.
It seems astonishing to me that these people who profess a disliking of Mozart can't see for themselves how hollow their attacks are. Nothing they say is remotely of any significance in the grand scheme of things. The very high status of Mozart is a fact and it won't be changed one iota by any of their negative assessment. Of course they are entitled to express their opinions, but with some comments there seems to be an innuendo that the rest of us are somehow dimwitted to like Mozart.
Let the record show I have nothing bad to say about people who like Mozart. (Refer to my earlier posts.) Also, let the record show I am aware of Mozart's status and I know my opinions of him will not change that. While my comments may ultimately be insignificant in the grand scheme of things, they are still my opinions and it feels good to express them. As for the "hollow attacks," I am not attacking, merely expressing. But my expressions of distaste are not hollow; they are based on years of hear Mozart and forming an opinion on his output.
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It also seems astonishing that some very few individuals seek to make martyrs of themselves by pretending that they have been bullied when in fact all that's happened is that they have faced some serious questioning asking them to justify their reasons for believing Mozart to be a poor composer. The generally silly answers they have given show that their antagonism is all mainly a lot of pure "hot air", based on nothing more than a general disliking of that kind of music. It's almost as crude as someone saying they hate Chopin because as a child they had an accident with a piano lid.
I do not claim to be a martyr. I merely stated that I have been bullied. While I would not call Artemis's comments here bullying, he has asserted the classical "Mozart haters are ignorant" argument which, at the very least, demonstrates the intolerance the anti-Mozart folks get when they try to express their opinions. The fact remains that one cannot speak out against Mozart without being taken to task. The level of severity of the chiding may vary from person to person, but the chiding carries on!
Mozart is a sacred cow and all of our lives we are taught that he is God. This is funny, isn't it, and very apt, because there is certainly a religious-style admiration for this composer among most of the classical music set. Any insult to Mozart is like taking the lord's name in vain. My saying I do not like Mozart is like drawing a Danish cartoon of Mohammed, I guess. It releases fanatical hysteria from those who must protect their Holy Father whenever he is not revered as God.
OK, so perhaps that is hyperbole. But I hope it helps to clarify my point.