Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major K364 (1779) [30:34]
Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major K216 (1775) [23:17]
Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat major K207 (1773) [21:14]
David Oistrakh (violin)
Moscow Chamber Orchestra/Rudolf Barshai (viola)
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra/Kirill Kondrashin (VC1)
rec. Moscow, 1959-1963. Mono
ALTO ALC1454 [75:23]
This is a disc where the technicians’ dedication (both in early 1960s Moscow and Alto’s modern team) matches that of the musicians. True, you have to adjust to mono but the signal communicates sound that is steady, sturdy, full spectrum and, most importantly, pleasurable.
Barshai, Oistrakh and the Moscow musicians never falter in their eloquence and their confident pre-‘authentic’ style. Lovely. No compromises are made when it comes to line and lilt, unity of purpose and statement. In the finale of K364 listen to the bows bouncing off the strings of the solo instruments: joy.
The Sinfonia Concertante is done with closely miked conviction and a sense of winged flight that treads a path distinct from mere technical virtuosity. It stands well clear of the 1956 studio version by Heifetz and Primrose at the Republic Studios (RCA Victor GD 86778) from which I can only turn away: impressive but unyieldingly heartless. Not that the Russians were immune from extremes of speed: try Golovanov on Great Conductors of the Century or Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov (deleted Olympia CDs of two Tchaikovsky tone poems) or Mravinsky (Tchaikovsky). This Alto offering is closer to the humane Sammon/Tertis version (Harty/LPO) from the 1930s. The playing seems lost in the musicians’ self-absorption but Mozart speaks masterfully. Orchestral details tell: witness the horns at 6:53 (I) and 0.41 (3). It’s all lovingly recorded by Artia and Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga.
The recorded ambience of the First and Third Violin Concertos takes a half step back - a little more distance and a shade less impact than for K364. In the Third Concerto Oistrakh plays with a relish that speaks of patent confidence. This is showcased, for example, in the cadenza in the middle movement. The First Concerto is obviously drawn from a live concert with a cough and audience applause at the end of the work. The playing is typically elegant.
Long gone now, but the recordings of K364 and K216 once kept company on Aulos.
The supportive and interesting liner-notes are by James Murray; quite an achievement for works as well documented as these.
This is a strong contender for a choice of K364: a varied alternative to more digitally gleaming stereo efforts from the engaging likes of Vilde Frang/Maksim Rysanov and Iona Brown/Josef Suk.
Rob Barnett
