Thursday, January 1, 2009

Start 2009 right with some damn good Mozart!

In my previous post, I bemoaned the scarcity of excellent recordings of the mature Mozart symphonies, using my favorite, K. 543 in E-flat, as primary example. This prompted my friend Randy Stewart, Fine Arts Producer at KSMU Radio in Springfield, Missouri, to ask me in an email: "...are there any Mozart 39ths out there that manage both to get the tempi right and not drown the listener in a sea of unnecessary repeats?"

Very few, I'm afraid. In addition to the failings of every single recording I've heard from the 78 and LP eras (funereal tempos in the introduction of the first movement, Andante con moto, and Menuetto) and the current literalist preoccupation with observing every repeat (so that, among other idiocies, the symphony ends twice) I didn't even mention the extremely variable quality of the playing in many of the more recent recordings, particularly the current mania for senza vibrato string playing. To those who assert that non-vibrato playing was prevalent in Mozart's time, I have two responses: A. So were high rates of infant mortality, systemic absence of personal hygiene and incurable syphilis, and they're no fun either; and B. How the hell would you know?

In the end, I've found very few cherishable recordings. Of the older ones, Thomas Beecham's London Philharmonic version (1940) wins by default, because even with tempos far too slow, Beecham somehow manages to make the music smile and glow, and the second movement is almost fast enough to count as andante, albeit senza moto. Of recordings from the CD era, my two favorite are Jukka-Pekka Saraste leading the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on a late 80s Virgin disc, and a "historically informed performance" by the Anima Eterna Orchestra under Jos van Immerseel that avoids the astringency of most "original instrument" renditions. (The strings play with little vibrato, but at least they're in tune!) This, along with the final two symphonies and the Concerto for Bassoon, K. 191, is on the expensive and hard to find Zig Zag label.

Luckily, one of the finest performances I have ever heard is available for free on YouTube. Lothar Zagrosek, best known for his recordings of 20th-Century music, leads NHK Symphony Orchestra in a delightful reading of lovely, singing grace that never goes wrong. I might prefer a still slightly faster Menuetto, but Zagrosek has the tempo in a sort of magic spot right between "in 1" and "in 3." It definitely works, and has the added benefit that the trio section feels sufficiently relaxed with no additional slowing of the basic pulse. This is Mozart with the stodginess excised, and it's beautiful.

1 comment:

  1. Great start, I appreciate reading solid score-based opinions. Thanks for the Zagrosek. Measured against some of the slow moving Titans, I'd like to hear more interplay, I feel it's a little streamlined for tempo, but refreshing none the less.

    I've book marked your site, post often.

    Gregg

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