MOZART: Serenades Nos. 11 in E-flat Major (K.375) & 12 in C minor (K.388) – Everest Woodwind Octet/Newell Jenkins – Everest Records EVERCD 001, 47:11 [www.harkitrecords.com] *****:
Though the first in their number sequence, this is the third of the new CD reissue series of the Everest recordings from the late 50s and early 60s which I am reviewing. The five-movement Serenade No. 11 was originally composed for a sextet of woodwinds, but the next year Mozart added two oboes, making it an octet. The Serenade No. 12 is a more advanced work, with more depth and seriousness than the typical Mozart Serenade; it could almost be a chamber symphony.
This is a fine performance, and very well recorded. It was originally made on 35mm magnetic film, but these reissues were probably mastered from tape copies of the 35mm. However, in comparison with exactly the same selections in the out-of-print 1996 Omega CD reissue series, I found that they sounded about the same – in other words, excellent.
– John Sunier
