Popular Mozart

Press, 30 December 1985, Page 15

Popular Mozart

Elsewhere, the versions are just as idiomatic; the & produce their own of Mozart which is essentially modern in concept. Guida has shorn the K4BB Concerto of a good deal of its ornamentation. This practice may meet with mixed feelings, yet there still remains a depth of understanding which cannot be taken too lightly. Harnoncourt’s relation-

By

ALLAN FRANCIS

MOZART. Piano Concertos Nos. 23 and 26, K4BB and K 537 played by Friedrich Guida, piano, with Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra. WORLD RECORDS WR 9454 from TELDEC.

One of Mozart’s early assertions was that his music reflected only the sunny hours. This might have been partly true, but he did register others — most pungently. In the Piano Concertos there was little room for serious reflection, but occasionally through the long passages of bubbling vitality thoughts of a darker kind emerged. Friedrich Guida, never one of the standard Mozart interpreters, comes into calculations here in a brace of the most popular works with an entirely convincing performance of both. Guida’s success stems just as much from his unique relationship with Harnoncourt as any other source, both men feeding each other with ideas to the point where the pianist adopts the composer’s own stance by joining in the orchestra tuttis.

ship with the Dutch orchestra produces some rich results, almost unexpectedly from one steeped in ancient musical tradition. The impression that remains throughout these performances is that both men are striving for versions that do not have wildly varying emotions, but that do have warmth and a continuing supply of good humour without ever being flashy or too extrovert

The difficulties Guida has set himself are enormous. As part of the orchestra he has adopted much the same policy as his earlier recordings of Mozart. One is not conscious of his participation nor waiting for any big moments when the soloist makes his customary entrance.

The recorded sound is brilliantly clear, even the soloist’s comments to himself occasionally surface, although this does not disturb the overall fine quality of the performance. ELGAR: Serenade. DELIUS. On Hearing the First Cuckoo. WARLOCK. Capriol Suite. VAUGHAN WILLIAMS. Tallis Fantasia. BUTTERWORTH. Banks of Green Willow. ELGAR. Serenade in E minor. DECCA ARGO ZRG94S.

The trick with pieces such as these is to avoid sounding tired and dull; as though the orchestra is suffering from too much ennui trying to please customers who have more money than imagination.

Neville Marriner is no stranger to programmes that cast a wide net in the hope that all will appeal to the catholic tastes of an equally wide group of record buyers. Needless to say, this sort of recording has been in vogue since the birth of the LP in the early fifties and the competition is now fairly tough. Most have been played literally to death, excepting the Butterworth “Banks of Green Willow,” which is one of my personal favourites. The composer wrote a small batch of high quality pieces which he edited severely before his death in World War I.

All the others are hardy campaigners which are beautifully played and recorded in style by Decca. The cover photo of Flatford Mills by John Constable continues the theme of pastoral splendour and should give much visual pleasure. Every collector should have at least one version of these pieces. They are essential listening in a slightly superficial way for the “quiet times” as they are fascinating examples of English music at its best. HANDEL. Water Music played by the Chicago Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Dieter Kober. MAESTRO MASTERS cassette SH-821.

In the continuing series of the budget cassettes from Hughes Leisure Group, this particular Handel “’Water Music Suite” follows much the same pattern as the best of the others.

There are really only two considerations; one is the interpretation and the other is tape quality. In the first Dieter Kober is cast in the same mould as the noble German conductors such' as Schmidt-Isserstedt, Jochum, Kempe or Kleiber (Erich). The tape quality is pretty much a gamble, with the odds in favour of the buyer. Most of those I have played have been quite satisfactory, with an edginess on the strings and a moderate lack of ambience. At the price though, this one is a good buy.