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| Teldec/Conifer (Full price) (CD) ZL8 48219 (two discs, nas). |
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The first of Harnoncourt's recording of Mozart symphonies with the Concertgebouw Orchestra appeared in 1981 and was greeted by RG with considerable excitement, not least for the astonishing clarity of detail of the DMM processing itself. My own disenchantment with the series came in 1982 with Harnoncourt's recording of the Prague, simply because the recording company put this short, three-movement symphony on to one record, so that you had to turn over after the first movement. I was aghast at this extravagance; and I am even more aghast at its now appearing on a whole CD. It lasts just over 38 minutes, even with all the repeats that Harnoncourt habitually observes, while the Jupiter is not all that generous at under 41 1/2 minutes. I know there is a problem if you haven't got a suitable work already recorded to fill the rest of the side (a good half-hour in the case of the Prague) but that is no real excuse for continuing such a habit.
The quality of the sound is staggeringly good in the Prague, slightly less clear in detail in the Jupiter, though only when set against Teldec's own high standards, for the texture is still remarkably good. As to the performances, Harnoncourt seems to have become rather more mannered in several ways as the series has progressed. Some of his tempos have been oddly judged and phrases have often been so shaded off that one scarcely hears the last note. Oddest of all from a musician one has always regarded as a model of authenticity, there are signs of a romantic approach—as in the first, soft phrase in the Jupiter, lingered over almost to the point of sentimentality that is surprising.
TH