Archipel ARPCD0392, 70:22 (Distrib. Qualiton) ****:
From the archives of the Cologne Radio-Symphony Orchestra come two powerful Mozart performances under the direction of Joseph Keilberth (1908-1968), noted as a solid–although detractors would say stolid–kapellmeister who led The Ring at Bayreuth, 1955. From 1 January 1956 Keilberth directs Mozart’s extended sacred hymn or cantata, The Solemn Vespers, a piece that first came to my attention via a Vox recording with Jascha Horenstein conducting. In six movements, the entire piece celebrates The Lord with stellar writing for his four soli and strong support for the chorus, a kind of writing Mozart had hoped to embellish after 1791, had he lived. The big moment, musically, remains the gorgeous Laudate dominus with soprano that floats on high, then the no less spectacular Magnificat that enjoys any number of rising string figures under a booming chorus, a literal apotheosis on every level. Agnes Giebel does the soprano honors with decided flexibility and strength of vocal tone; she is joined by a hearty bass in Roth-Ehrang in the second movement Confitetor. The palpable joy in music making shines through in a rather illumined, reverential collaboration of kindred spirits.
A pianist dear to many, Hungarian virtuoso Geza Anda (1921-1976) played little Mozart in his early days, but his reputation today thrives on Mozart, particularly his rendition of the Piano Concerto No. 21 in C. From 1 October 1953 Anda joins Keilberth and the Koelner Rundfunk-Sinfonie Orchester for Mozart’s eminently polished G Major Concerto in brilliant, pearly colors. The first movement cadenza pays for the entire disc in one sparkling sweep, the woodwinds and strings slipping in under him to bring the movement to a jaunty close. The Andante, with its liquid starts and stops, has oboe, flute, bassoon, and horn usher in Anda’s studied entry and arioso-recitativo passages. That the piano can evoke crystalline prayers as intimate as the human voice has proof in Anda’s second movement cadenza, if only the audience would stifle its coughs. The Allegretto froths and bubbles with skittish glee, a series of variations and “hunting” curlicues–shades of Papageno and Papagena–delivered by Ganymede directly to the gods of Olympus.
A sophisticate’s bonus comes in the form of Mozart’s First Symphony (4 August 1952) with the often irascible Hermann Scherchen (1891-1966) at the helm of RAI Turin. The sound is a bit muddy, but the rococo figures of young Mozart’s early published exercise in symphonic writing benefit from the conductor’s stylistic savvy. We would have to admit the extended, darkly colored Andante shows promise. The last movement, Presto, pays homage to J.C. Bach while making a few gracious points on its own, including some jabs and rocket figures in virtuoso style.
— Gary Lemco
