Search - Mozart, Brain, Beecham :: Symphony 27 / Divertimento 2 / Flute & Harp Cto

THIS ONE'S A WINNER- DESERVES 10 STARS (BRAVO, SIR TOMMY)

Mark E. Farrington | Albany, NY | 12/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In terms of tonal beauty, balance and focus (at least among 78-to-CD transfers), this may be Dutton's finest work to date. And these performances DESERVE it.



First off is the 1949 Magic Flute Overture- with far greater verve than the Overture in Beecham's more famous (complete) Berlin set.



Many collectors first encountered the neglected wit, sparkle and grace of the Flute & Harp Concerto through this 1947 Beecham set (with flutist Rene LeRoy and harpist Lily Laskine). Only Eduard Van Beinum's 1957 Concertgebouw set (with flutist Hubert Barwahser and harpist Phia Berghout) is in the same league (in which case : sweetness, purity and grace). Yes, Beecham gave a "pass" to the Flothius cadenzas, which may sound more like Saint-Saens than Mozart, but with music-making of this caliber, WHO CARES?



The delicious K. 131 Divertimento is next...Listen to the aristocratic (sometimes barely perceptable) rubati in the second movement. Enjoy the pointed phrasing and rich-bad-boy impishness of the first and third movements ("It's good to be the King"). Indulge in horn passages of the second minuet, led by the incomparable Dennis Brain. And relish Sir Tommy as he pulls a famous "naughty" by replacing the first minuet with one from the K. 287 Divertimento. By comparison, the nearest

competition to Beecham (the superb Szell/Cleveland K. 131 -with "correct" first minuet) is almost (almost) "middle-class."



Finally, the Symphony No. 27: three all-too-fleeting movements of sparkling, musical champagne-on-ice.



This CD may have already been deleted ("currently unavailable," sez amazon) . So- new or used, just so long as it's playable- if you run across it anywhere (but anywhere), BITE. You will return to it again and again."