The principal
virtue of the famous early Glyndebourne recordings of Mozart’s
Da Ponte operas is the conducting of Fritz Busch. Neither
ponderous nor glib, it is always alive to the changing character
of the music and to its dramatic qualities. All too little
else is available to demonstrate his art so that this disc
is a valuable addition, especially in respect of the two
Mozart items.
The “
Linz” Symphony
is the highlight of the disc. I believe that Stravinsky said
of Bruno Walter’s recorded rehearsal of the work that he
often asked the orchestra to sing but never to dance. That
cannot be said of this recording which manages to combine
an understanding of the singing nature of the melodic lines
with an irresistible feeling for the underlying dance rhythms.
It is worth the price of the disc for this alone, but provided
that you can respond to large-scale performances of “
Eine
Kleine Nachtmusik” that performance is also well worth
hearing.
Curiously the
same does not apply to the Haydn to anything like the same
extent. The Symphony comes first on the disc and the very
slow tempo of the introduction to the first movement robs
it of momentum and takes away much of its character. The
tempi in the rest of the Symphony are not all slow, but somehow
the flair for rhythm which is one of the great features of
Busch’s Mozart performances deserts him as does, to my ears
at least, that sense of spontaneity and the ability to change
character in a moment that is so necessary in Haydn. This
effect is added to by a dull recording quality which seems
to put a veil between the listener and the performance. The
recording quality in the other works is certainly not good,
but is significantly better than it is for this Symphony.
The soloists
in the Sinfonia Concertante are not named – a surprising
omission as they well deserve individual recognition – but
presumably they are the orchestral principals. Even if as
a whole the performance does not catch fire as does the Mozart
Symphony, it is played with refinement and care and is thoroughly
enjoyable if not outstandingly memorable.
But I come back
to the Mozart items. Both have that kind of instinctive and
unselfconscious understanding of the music which was so typical
of the earlier Glyndebourne recordings. Even if like me you
find the Haydn disappointing the disc is well worth having
for these pieces alone.
John Sheppard
see also review by Jonathan Woolf
Danish Radio
Symphony Orchestra/Fritz Busch 
