Customer Reviews

Mozart: Concertos for Clarinet, Flute & Bassoon / Karl Böhm

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The G Major Flute Concerto on this CD is truly wonderful; I have heard over 10 G Majors and the soloist here is not the greatest I've ever heard (if you're looking for those, see Rampal, Bennett, and Nicolet), but he and the VPO know each other well (as they should - he was a regular in the orchestra), and they produce a warm, easy, delightful performance of the G Major. I can say even more for the clarinet concerto: it is the best I've heard. Though I have heard only two other versions of it, those versions tend to be highly regarded, and neither can match this one which has Bohm bringing his full store of magic to the great Adagio.

Then we get to the bassoon concerto. Compared to the Decca version with the Cleveland Orchestra and Dohnanyi, this performance is downright terrible. The soloist seems insecure on some of the faster technical passages, he has a bad sound, and his interpretation is timid and uniformly uninteresting. Bohm of course does well as usual, but he is only able to fill the cup halfway. Listen to eight bars of the Decca and you can't but notice the difference: Dohnanyi's soloist has a fat warm sound with no technical trouble and a lively spirit about the whole thing - almost the opposite of what is presented here. I can't believe they would let such a musician into the Vienna Philharmonic, or even if I could believe that, I couldn't believe they should ever let him stand out front.

5 stars for the clarinet and flute concerti, 2.5 for Bohm's half of the bassoon concerto.

The only three people I feel I can consistently trust with interpreting Mozart well are Charles Mackerras, Neville Marriner and Karl Bohm. These three conductors have spent their lives studying the Mozartian style and successfully mix modern instrumentation with 18th century interpretation to create performances that are both authentic and sublime. In the case of this recording, Bohm provides what I believe to be the most beautiful account of the clarinet concerto ever recorded on a modern clarinet. Prinz and Bohm take leisurely tempos, allowing the listener to soak up the melodic lines and heavenly timbre of the clarinet without feeling rushed.

The flute concerto is equally good, Tripp providing a beautiful tone and a great first movement cadenza. The bassoon concerto is very well played by Zeman but at times seems to be covered by the orchestra during some of the tuttis.

The digital remastering of the original recording is wonderful. For those who care, there is no basso continuo on any of the recordings, (which was going out of style during the 18th century anyway). Personally, I don't care for continuo on anyting past the Baroque era, but it is a matter of one's personal taste.

As if this recording needed more endorsement, it is upheld by the Penguin Guide and NPR's Ted Libby as one of the best renderings of these three works. You really can't go wrong.

I concur with Samantha Jane's review. If anything, I am even more effusive about Karl Bohm, who in my view is the finest interpreter of Mozart on record, period. And if you liked thiis disc, check out Bohm's rendering of The Abduction from the Seraglio -- a joy!

... you get to the bassoon concerto. As a bassoonist myself, I can say that Dieter Zeman either truly has the worst sound I have ever heard, the microphones were really placed that badly, or both.

If it's the bassoon concerto you're after, then for the love of god, get something else; I'd recommend the performances by either Dag Jensen or Bernard Garfield.

The flute concerti (it IS "concerti" and not "concertos"; I really wish publishers would get this right) and the clarinet piece are, on the other hand, played truly wonderfully. I cannot think of a better performance of these particular works.