Sensible
David Saemann | 12/23/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I would repeat my comments from my review of Iona Brown's recording of the Haffner Symphony and Haffner Serenade, both of which come from the same recording sessions in April 1997 as the works on this CD. The 33rd Symphony is a tricky work to bring off. Brown takes some galoping tempos in the first movement that really usher in a great commotion. The string playing is fully up to her demands, really virtuosic in its tonal beauty and its ease of execution. Brown sustains this momentum throughout the Symphony, a truly memorable reading. The Serenade is all grace and polish. This is one of the hardest of Mozart's serenades to bring off. George Szell failed horribly. But Brown's reading is sensibly paced and offers many opportunites for the first chairs to shine. The Posthorn soloist is uncredited (It might be the principal trumpet, who is credited.), but his playing is ringing in tone and brilliant. This disc is a prime feature of the legacy of Iona Brown."