Search - Mozart, Pablo Casals, Marlboro Festival Orchestra :: Mozart: Symphonies 35 " Haffner " 40 & 41 (Marlboro Festival)

Vigor to burn

Martin Sweaney | Texas | 01/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1979, I purchased this set in LP format; actually it contained Nos. 35, 36, and 38-41. It opened my eyes to the strength, the vigor, the vitality - you can guess what I mean - that lies in Mozart's writing. Too often it is made to be tinkly, delicate, even plodding, or else nervous and flighty. This recording shows just how strong Mozart's symphonic masterpieces are. It is ironic that ever since then, I have found nearly every other performance either enervated or soporific. Anyone who has yet to be weaned off of the junk that pop, contemporary and alternative purveyors are calling art should be hog-tied and forced to listen to the minuet from #40, the Andante from #35, all of No. 38, the Introduction to #36, and of course, the finale of #40. Especially the fans of alternative, who fancy themselves so soulful and deep-thinking - it they do not perk up to these symphonies, then they are probably just beyond hope, and will never get past musical baby food to real meat such as this. It bothers me not in the slightest that these live performances are a bit raw once in a while - I like raw, especially when it reveals something new.Buy these!"

A fresh and renovated look at supreme and legendary masterpi

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 01/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First at all, the musical masterpieces will never die. After us a new generations of newcomers will be trapped by the magic spell of this fascinating adventure around the grandness and supremacy of this Giant composer.



In 1968, Casals was approaching the gage of ninety two, where attended a gentle and kind invitation in order to conduct at Marlboro Festival. In this sense the old master had to remind his first efforts in Prades with the solemn motive to pay tribute to the 200th death `s anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach. First and foremost, you will experience a distilled and wise approach about every one of this sacred works.



The Haffner lacks of that propulsive character given by Arturo Toscanini or Nikolaus Harnoncourt, for instance. Casals dissects the Symphony and coats it with this visible feature of that intimate chamber work character, tingeing it of polychromatic vision, fluency and clarity, thinking perhaps in the great tradition of the great Divertimentos and Serenades of the Austrian musician. It is a reflexive and committed performance with a major emphasis in the intention, remarking sumptuously phrasing and expression, rather than a pre Beethoven work. It is stylized filled of joy of living and aristocratic profile. The Final is enrapturing and delighting. The ensemble played with such intensity and pride of joy that it can felt from the first bars. It 's easy to realize the spontaneous and warmth ovation at the end of the performance, because even the applauses have its own gamut of frequencies.



The inflexion of the master around of the 40th is extremely interesting. Casals underlines the gloomy inflexion and somber mood visibly present in this work. To my mind, this feature has always been belittled for many conductors; the seminal roots of this melody seem to anticipate the first signals of a primordial anguish; this is not neither an elegant Movement nor a light smile. The Second Movement is one of the supreme jewels of the Mozartian repertoire; he draws sublime. The Third Movement seemed to prove with that visible autumnal character the search of new horizons, well apart from the joyous visions of previous works. This Movement may be thought as whistle in the dark. The Fourth Movement is without discussion, the center of gravity of the work; an important and additional evidence of what I meant respect the true significance of the First Movement; Mozart suggest us shadowy whirlwinds of dark poetry, and expectant anguish. To my mind this was his best approach ever given in his lifetime. Recorded in 1968.



The famous 41th Symphony, best known as Jupiter, of visible Dionysian accent does not reach its entire fulfillment. I feel it a mite affected and restricted in what concerns to its mercurial and vivid expression. It is an interesting vision, but I must state I do not share this approach.



But apart these personal considerations, this is a relevant and historical musical document that must be preserved for future listeners.



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