Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra :: Mozart: Symphony #40/Piano Concerto #20/Serenades #10 'Gran Partita' & #13 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Wilhelm Furtwangler, Berlin Philharmonic

Hooray, Furtwangler's Mozart from Vienna, in best sound ever

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 07/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These postwar Mozart recordings date between 1947 and 1954, the year of Furtwangler's death. Several are from live performances and radio air checks, yet EMI has remastered everything in quite acceptable historical sound. I would call this the best reissue ever for these classics (but they are also available in Europe on Naxos Hstorical, which consistently outshines EMI's efforts, so my judgment is provisional.)



Newcomers to Furtwangler's Mozart might assume that his tempos will be measured, even grave--his postwar Don Giovanni is that way at times--but everything here is light and often quick. The first movement of Sym. #40 sets off at a clip, for example, while Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and 'Gran Partita' Serenade #10 proceed at modern speeds, unless you count period performances today, which tend to be much faster. Furtwangler isn't overly romantic, either; I think many will be surprised at how little these readings have dated.



Just to give a thumbnail sketch, the G minor Sym. is considered a Furtwangler touchstone, full of alertness and vivacity, yet sadly the 1949 sound isn't good enough to make the Vienna Phil. sound either sweet or charming. The live D minor Piano Concerto #20 is late, 1954, but being a radio broadcast from Lugano, the sonics are sketchy. The soloist, Yvonne Lefebure, is closely placed and plays with enough skill to allow us to enjoy Furtwangler's big-boned, dramatic accompaniment, a close kin to his Don Giovanni.



The Queen of the Night's two arias with Wilma Lipp are splendidly sung and also enjoy some of the best sound here. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik from a 1949 concert in the Musikverein is lively and nicely recorded, but I'm not sure it's anything special. What is special is the 1947 Serenade #10, Mozart's mastepiece for 13 winds. The recording places te first oboe and clarinet too close, and not every bar is played perfectly in tune, but in musical terms Furtwangler does the work full justice. The recording is good enough for us to catch the special flavor and charm of the Vienna Phil.'s woodwind section--although a bit old-fashoined, this is one of Furtwangler's prime Mozart readings, and one of the best interpretations on disc.



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