Search - Leopold Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Neville Marriner :: Mozart: Youth Symphonies, Vol. 1 [Hybrid SACD]

Engaging

David Saemann | 07/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was only able to listen to this in the CD version. There the sound is clear and full bodied, with just a touch of steeliness to the strings. The album, recorded in 1972-3, does not state whether Marriner conducts standing up or whether he leads from the concertmaster's chair. Either way, these are cherishable performances. The balances are exquisite, with the harpsichord barely piercing though the strings. This is probably the best modern instruments version of these works. There are excellent recordings by Leinsdorf and Gunter Kehr, but Marriner surpasses both in clarity and elegance. I doubt there ever was a string orchestra that could match the early Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. I'm pretty sure that Harnoncourt has recorded some of these pieces on original instruments, and some listeners may find him preferable. But for what the Marriner performances are, they hardly could be bettered."