Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Serenade No. 6 “Serenata notturna’, K239
Divertimento in D K206
Serenade No. 13 Eine Kleine Nachtmusik K525
Vier Kontretanze (Serenade) K101
English Chamber Orchestra / José-Luis García
rec. 1982, St John’s Smith Square, London, UK
Nimbus Records NI7116 [55]
This territory was very much occupied by Willi Boskovsky and the Vienna Philharmonic. In large part it populates Decca/Universal’s high, wide and handsome Boskovsky box; 50 CDs no less. Harry Blech (1909-1999) – a hugely lumbering yet commanding figure on the podium – for decades trod the boards with such works. Blech and his London Mozart Players (1948-84) remain, for this reviewer, a fond student-days memory. They were very much a beneficent and greatly respected denizen of the Bristol concert venues in the early 1970s.
José-Luis García (1944-2011) was for twenty years Leader, alternating with Kenneth Sillito, of the English Chamber Orchestra. The present Nimbus disc is a fitting celebration of his work with the ECO. For them, this small-scale Mozart was core repertoire. García’s way with Mozart, as we discover, strikes a nice balance between the stately and the seductive. The ECO plays with stylish eloquence. Do not miss the contributions of the French horns and the piquant dialogues between front bench strings and the main body. They show up the music as fresh as a daisy: beguiling playing and a big sound. Conventional 20th century instruments are used; not the ‘authentic’ instrumentarium that has come to dominate the industry.
The listening experience leaves you regretting that the playing time, which was harnessed to the recital’s issue on vinyl, had to be limited to just short of an hour. The LP never migrated to CD, at least not until now. Interestingly, the recording was made by John Boyden and Tony Faulkner, distinguished names in the audio technical firmament but not the usual Nimbus ‘crew’. Changes in recorded sound technology cast up flotsam and jetsam. The bumpy change from LP to CD, broadly during the early 1980s – produced diverse results. Here the stereo effects are emphatic and the sound both tickles and caresses the ear. The outcome is very agreeable indeed.
The notes are, as issued with the LP, by Robert Anthony Briggs. Adrian Farmer’s added liner essay entertainingly charts the progress of the “Nimbus Rediscovered Recordings” series. I hear that this will include the rarely encountered studio work (the Bach solos) of cellist Amaryllis Fleming – a musician wholly or largely ignored. Come the day … and soon, I implore.
Rob Barnett
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