The Mozarteum Orchestra goes all the way back to 1841 when
Mozart’s sons and his widow Constanze helped found it. Today, it’s one of
Austria’s leading orchestras, represents the city of Salzburg internationally,
and plays at the Salzburg Festival. On the present disc, we hear them perform
two late-Haydn symphonies with their Chief Conductor since 2004, Ivor Bolton.
Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was
between jobs when the German impresario Johann Salomon approached him to write
a series of symphonies for his London orchestra. During two visits to London
(1791-92 and 1794-95), Haydn wrote his final twelve symphonies for Salomon, the
works known today as Haydn’s “London Symphonies” (although, to be fair, he
actually wrote No. 99 in Vienna).
Maestro Bolton begins the album with the Symphony No. 102 in B-flat major,
wherein he adopts some zesty speeds while staying well within the bounds of
propriety. However, you’ll hear nothing earthshaking or innovative in the
performance; the Mozarteum Orchestra is too traditional for that. Still, the
realization is energetic enough easily to capture and keep one’s attention, and
the orchestra’s playing is immaculate.
Nevertheless, as polished as Bolton’s performance is,
there is much one can say about older recordings, and I couldn’t help
remembering Eugen Jochum’s memorable DG renditions with members of the London
Philharmonic from the early Seventies, renditions that continue to impress me
with their never-ending humor and sparkle. What’s more, when you can find
Jochum’s entire set of all twelve “London Symphonies” on four discs priced so
reasonably, it’s hard to resist. As are issues from Thomas Beecham (EMI), Colin
Davis (Philips), Antal Dorati (Decca), La Petite Bande (DHM), Otto Klemperer
(EMI), and others.
But none of the competition takes anything away from this
Oehms Classics release. Bolton and company provide a clear alternative for
listeners seeking a newer, digital experience. Bolton’s performance of No. 102 is a delight, going out with a
cheerfully bouncy reading of the final movement.
Up next, we get the Symphony
No. 103 in E-flat major, nicknamed the “Drumroll Symphony” for its
opening-movement timpani part. It would be Haydn’s next-to-last symphony. Ah,
but he went out in grand style, the timpani sounding great in an extended
cadenza. Bolton makes the most of the piece, offering up an interpretation of
grace and refinement along with an obvious vigor. When Haydn first premiered
it, the London audience requested the Andante
be played a second time. Bolton’s rendering of it displays its charms in
abundance. The Minuet resembles the
one in the preceding symphony, if not quite so quick or pronounced; and
Bolton’s handling of the Finale is
playfully alert.
Recorded in 2011 at Dorothea Porsche Saal, Odeion,
Kulturforum Salzburg, Austria, by Oehms Classics, the sound is
distinctive--big, wide, full, and close, yet with a moderately good depth of
field. The dynamic range and transient impact sound especially strong, giving
the sonics a lifelike, front-and-center feeling. The frequency balance comes
across quite evenly, with more than adequate bass and reasonably extended
highs. More important, there is no edge, no brightness, nor any dullness to the
sound. Finally, a modest warmth and a mild degree of resonance accompany the
general transparency of a recording that should please even finicky
audiophiles.
To hear a brief excerpt from this album, click here:
JJP
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