MOZART: SYMPHONIES NO 39 & 40,

TOSCANINI COLLECTION VOL 11 -

MOZART: SINFONIA CONCERTANTE,

Selections recorded February and August, 1990.

MOZART: THE PIANO QUARTETS AN

TOSCANINI COLLECTION VOL 71 -

MOZART: VIOLIN CONCERTO 3, CON

Jascha Heifetz was larger than life, but was he too big for Mozart? The stern patrician of the violin, with his intense, laser-beam intonation and diamond-hard tone, would seem ideally suited for the big romantic concertos for which he was famous, but any fears that he would be mismatched with Mozart will be allayed immediately upon hearing his serene entry in the first movement of the "Turkish" Concerto, not to mention the delicate interplay that follows, by turns witty and sensuous. For the only time in his career, Heifetz is both conductor and soloist, making this the most involving of his recordings of the work.
Unlike many virtuosos of his time, Heifetz had no qualms about appearing publicly in chamber ensembles. And, with violist William Primrose and cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, he formed a sort of permanent yet flexible supergroup that gave regular concerts in Los Angeles throughout the 1960s. These players, along with violist Virginia Majewski and legendary Hollywood session violinist Israel Baker, are heard in the G minor String Quintet, a work with intimations of the 19th century, here given a taut, urgent, almost Beethovenesque performance.

MOZART: OPERA ARIAS CAROL VAN

MOZART: PIANO CONCERTOS 20 & 2

ELEANOR STEBER - MOZART, GOUNO

I wondered at first why the Overture was placed last on this CD, until I listened to the performance. Here the orchestra don't get off to a very clean start: ensemble is not quite precise, and the playing takes a few bars to settle down. Then the effect is smoothly accomplished, with plenty of vigour. Of the two symphonies, No. 40 in G minor opens the disc attractively and we discover that the Berlin Philharmonic, without a conductor, display a nicely relaxed sense of Mozartian pacing and are enjoying the music enough to provide the first movement's exposition repeat. There is fine wind playing in the Andante and the string phrasing is warmly gracious, while the horns show pleasing finesse in the Trio of the Minuet.

The account of the Linz Symphony is also well-judged and the music making throughout the whole disc, although distinctly weighty in the first movement of the Linz, shows a proper Mozartian sensibility... The BPO are used to playing under conductors of strong charisma (Karajan was still at the helm when this record was made)...[but] there is never any feeling of inflexibility... The sound is full and nicely resonant without clouding inner detail...and is certainly enjoyable.

-- Ivan March, Gramophone [11/1989]

MOZART: SERENADE NO. 9 POSTHOR

MOZART: PIANO CONCERTOS 17 & 1

MOZART: SONATAS FOR VIOLIN & P