Search - Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, René Leibowitz :: Mozart: Symphonies 41 & 35 / Haydn: Symphony No. 104

One of my favorite CDs

Patrick A Daley | Fredericton, New Brunswick | 08/21/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the finest of the Chesky reissues. The performances by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra are superb, and the recording quality is outstanding. The producer, Charles Gerhardt, and the recording engineer, Kenneth G. Wilkinson, made many fine recordings, with a stereo image that is spacious, wide and deep. These are some of their best work.Josef Krips has given us the finest recording of Mozart's Haffner Symphony, no. 35, I have ever heard. The Haffner Symphony is really a wonderful work, with a contrast between Sturm und Drang and galant elements. Krips brings out this contrast, which is one of the things that makes it a great performance. The second movement is very gracious, while the third movement contrasts allegretto and menuetto. The last movement is played full out, as Mozart wanted, without sacrificing the musical values. This is my favorite performance of my favorite Mozart symphony.René Leibowitz, who died relatively young, was a great conductor. Chesky has reissued his Beethoven cycle as well, and the ones I have are done extremely well. Many regard Mozart's Symphony no. 41 as his best, and I am not disposed to disagree, despite my liking for the Haffner. Leibowitz integrates the many elements the complex first movement into a unified whole. He brings out the unfathomable tragedy in the slow movement. The lighter third movement menuetto is full of life, and the triumphant fourth movement is brought off with a flourish. This stands comparisoon with the best performances, whether by Krips, himself, Colin Davis, Pablo Casals, Christopher Hogwood (an 'original instruments' version) or anyone else I have heard.As well, Krips' performance of Haydn's Symphony no. 104 is grand and beautiful. The first movement starts off rather seriously for Haydn, but soon livens up. Slow movement contrasts the soft and loud passages, and the menuetto is grand and spacious. The final movement has an unusual grandeur, although this is alternated with more humorous renditions of the themes. As always with Haydn, one is amazed at his seemingly inexhaustible power of invention. This is one of his finest works.This is one of my favorite CDs of all time, and I never tire of the performances."

A Dissenting Opinion

Jeffrey Lipscomb | Sacramento, CA United States | 05/15/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The vastly under-rated Rene Leibowitz (1913-1975), a student of Arnold Schoenberg, was one of my favorite conductors. He left many memorable recordings: Offenbach operas (on Regis CDs), a fine Berlioz "Symphonie Fantastique" (DG Westminster), the first Berlioz "Lelio" (Vox LP), a stunning Prokofiev 2nd Piano Concerto with Malcolm Frager (an audiophile RCA LP not yet on CD), one of the greatest-ever recordings of Schumann's "Rhenish" Symphony (on another Chesky CD), and my all-time favorite recording of Schoenberg's "Gurre Lieder" (now on Preiser CD). Leibowitz also recorded some wonderful Ravel in the 1950's for Vox LP. I could name another dozen or so great recordings: suffice it to say, Leibowitz was pretty special.



But every great conductor has his lesser moments, and this Mozart Jupiter Symphony strikes me as one of Leibowitz's less attractive efforts (the Mozart #35 and Haydn #104 here are conducted by Krips). It's well-played in a rather hard-boiled sort of way. When I compared this Leibowitz account to versions by Bohm (DG), Schuricht (Scribendum), the old mono Beecham/London Philharmonic (Dutton), and my all-time favorite (Rudolf Barshai on a Melodiya LP), its shortcomings became all too apparent. As for Krips, both his Mozart and Haydn readings here are a shade sloppy and suffer from some heavy phrasing (his Concertgebouw account of #35 for Philips was better played than this one, but it had the same interpretive faults). Krips, to my ears, is clearly excelled by Schuricht (EMI) and Scherchen (Tahra) in the Mozart, and his Haydn #104 doesn't hold a candle to such versions as Rosbaud (DG) and Woldike (Vanguard), to name just two alternatives for each symphony.



So, as a result, this is the only Leibowitz CD that I have actually weeded from my collection. For me, his best Mozart was his Figaro Overture (on Chesky's "A Night at the Opera" CD collection), and his Westminster LP account of Ave Verum Corpus. Leibowitz left many fine recorded interpretations, but I don't feel that this Mozart #41 was truly one of them.



Not recommended."

A remaster of old recordings. Great performances.

Jeffrey Lipscomb | 08/29/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I started to enjoy classical music by listening to the old Reader's Digest record sets. I believe that is the original source of these recordings. They are remastered from recordings made in the early 60's. The performance are familar and wonderful. Great renditions of favorite works. This CD is at a premium price, which I think is wrong. Other labels remaster older recordings at a budget price. This recording SHOULD be at a budget price, as it's old material. Not only that, I am not impressed with the sound. It is a clear recording, with a lot of midrange, but limited highs, detail, and thin bass. Not really a full range orchestral recording. Not a premium sound. I give the performance five stars, but the sound only three. That comes out, for me, four stars. I am happy to see these old classic recordings come out again. But not happy with the price or sound. If I knew before buying it that the sound was the way it was, I would NOT have purchased it."