Search - Mengelberg, Bach, Vivaldi :: The Mengelberg Edition Vol 6

Rich and Rewarding

David Saemann | 01/12/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, one must address the technical shortcomings of this disc. The discs apparently were copied onto analog tape, and in the playback of it the tape at times has become unbalanced between the two channels. In spite of this, what we have in the way of performances here is pure gold. Mengelberg was one of the few conductors of his generation to perform Baroque music regularly. Despite the stylistic antiquity of his approach, there is much elegance and passion in these performances that still can cause us to marvel. The live performances of the Bach pieces (Orchestral Suite No. 2 and Keyboard Concerto No. 5) have tremendous tonal allure and charm, while Agi Jambor is a superb piano soloist in the Concerto. The Vivaldi has great beauty, while J.C. Bach is a composer Mengelberg championed and this concerto performance is truly charming. As for Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, it makes one wish we had more Mozart by Mengelberg available, so elegant and stylish is the playing. The sound engineering, from both concert and studio sources, is always appealing, in spite of all the pops and crackles on the discs (I sound like I'm reviewing Kellogg's Rice Krispies!). In sum, despite the technical problems with this CD, it is very rewarding for its survey of a repertoire we have too few of Mengleberg's souvenirs in."