Mozart on Eloquence

Marriner has recorded much Mozart during his decades-long career - first with Decca and Argo, then substantially more with Philips, and finally some unnecessary remakes with EMI. I consistently find his earlier recordings to be my favorites of them all - freshest, most spontaneous and joyous. 

This superb Eloquence 2-fer is no exception. These originate from the late 60s and early 70s, most from the Argo label. Argo was known (unofficially) as being Decca's top-drawer recordings. These Marriner Mozart readings certainly confirm that, at least for these ears. One reviewer on Amazon found these CD transfers to sound a bit bright and harsh - preferring the alternative remastering on the very expensive First Impression Music [FIM] release. I do not hear the sound on this Eloquence as being in the slightest bit bright. On the contrary, I hear it as being delightfully clear and precise, with superbly defined articulation, within a warm acoustic. And the strings, as recorded, consistently sing with a soaring airiness, naturally filling the acoustic. In comparison, Marriner's Philips recordings are generally warmer and fuller, but a little muffled, less detailed and with less air and spaciousness; his later EMIs even worse in this regard. I greatly prefer the extra clarity and freshness of these earlier recordings, which also benefit from an extra feeling of spontaneity.

I have not heard any previous Decca releases of these recordings, so I cannot comment on how this Eloquence reissue compares with regards to remastering. But I can say that I derived so much enjoyment from these discs, that I have nothing but the highest praise - from performance and recording quality perspectives. Indeed, one would never guess these are nearly 50 years old! Very highly recommended to all lovers of Mozart.
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A very interesting 3-disc set appeared last year proclaiming to include the complete Mozart Violin Concertos - all 7 of them! While I owned violinist Mayumi Fujikawa's set of the "standard" 5 concertos on a very hard-to-find Double Decca import, I was not aware she and conductor Walter Weller also recorded more. Thus, the attraction of this set is the anticipation of discovering a 6th and 7th Mozart concerto.

According to the documentation accompanying this release, there is no promise that these are authentically Mozart. Indeed the "6th" is almost certainly not at all Mozart, while there is some evidence to support the theory that much of the "7th" may indeed be Mozart. A violinist of Mozart's time is reported to have heard Mozart play this piece and recreated it from memory and surviving sketches.

The musical results follow precisely these assumptions: there isn't much in the "6th" which resembles the invention or freshness or genius of Mozart; it is rather bland and not terribly interesting. Conversely, the "7th" sounds very much like it could be a mature Mozart concerto; it is fascinating and very enjoyable. Both are played and recorded reasonably well here.

As to the 5 main concertos, these recordings have not been widely available in the U.S. (there was a UK 'Double-Decca' release that could be imported) and are not really competitive with the best. They were recorded in 1979 and 1980 and Decca's sound is excellent. Walter Weller is, as usual with this underrated conductor, a stylish, alert and sensitive accompanist, drawing crisp playing and freshness from the Royal Phil. However, violinist Mayumi Fujikawa is not among the highest caliber of players. Oh, she's accomplished, but does not posses the refinement and supreme mastery of execution of the very best. Her intonation is suspect at times (especially in cadenzas) and she has a tendency to insert many unnecessary slides (not very well executed, I might add), which add a bit of syrupy-sweetness and are not really appropriate, let alone authentic. I'm also not overly fond of her fast, thin, narrow vibrato. All of these characteristics result in playing which sounds dated and lacking a true vision and a sense of discovery throughout. It's all rather ho-hum.

All in all, this is a competent and somewhat enjoyable survey, if not anywhere near anyone's top 10 list of these endlessly absorbing works. The "7th" concerto is certainly worth hearing, but the "6th" can remain unknown, as it really does not add much substance to the collection.