Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-28
TurntobIe Talk

MOZdTL, WHEN ne was 90,
thought his newly finished
quintet for piano and wood
winds the best piece he had
ever composed.
Whether We agree with him
or not, this quintet *. 452)
is unusual, masterfulf and
thoroughly engaging. The
proof of its merits is readily
at hand in the polished per-
Torrance Columbia has re-
corded by Rudolf Serkin and
members of the wind section
of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
1t is doubtful if one could find
more accomplished players
than John de Lancie, on the
obce; Anthony Gigliotti. clari-
net: Sol Schoenbach. bassoon.
and Mason Jones. horn, as we'll
as. Of course, Serkin himself.
The five collaborate nobly.
Beethoven's quintet. OPP. Is.
which is modelled on Mozart's
even to the extent Of the same
key &c fat. occupies the re-
verse Of this Columbia disc,
and it makes a fine compan-
ion-piece. Beethoven. inter
estingly enough, was also %
when he wrote it. Mozart at
that age was already APP
preaching the peak of his Gre
alive capacity. however. while
his successor was Just getting
steam up.
The two flute concertos, K.
313 and 314. which Mozart
wrote just before his splendid
Paris" Symphony, have always
seemed to me among his most
high-spirited. winning works.
so it seems strange to read that
he disliked this fetching in
Strument. A soloist named
Hubert BarWahSer manages it
expertly in a pairing of the
works on an Epic LIP, with John
Pritchard and the Vienna
Symphony providing lively sup
port. The disc has thumpy
bass and an occasional tend
ency to shrillness, but these
flaws aren't too serious. Epic.
incidentally. has labeled the
disc Mozart Jubilee Edition
1856" and it is to be hoped
many more with the same tag
will follow.
A Mozart Trio
The incompatible charm of
MoZart's E major trio, K. 542,
is admirably conveyed by Jean
Fournier. Antonio Janigro and
Paul Badura- Skoda in a new
performance for Westminster
This might be a concerto, for
the effect it makes, although
actually it is almost piano.
violin sonata, since the cello
has almost no prominence
whatever. In any case it is an
essential acquisition for any
Mozart enthusiast. A worthy
companion, K. 548. is on the
back. The reproduction is
superb.
Hermann Scherchen's new
performance for Westminster
of Mozart's Requiem strikes
me as quite good. Vienna's
Academic Kammerchor. while
of moderate size. sings ener-
getically, and the soloists are
capable. The recorded sound
is impressively lifelike, too.
The tympani really thunder
omlnouSly in the Dies irae,"
for instance. One might take
exception to some of the
tempt, such as the eXtraordi-
narily deliberate opening but
DR. Scherchen probably can
justify them in terms of a
conception which lays stress
upon the somber elements of
the work This is heart-rend-
ing music.
Not Definitive
For all it's virtues, however,
I think this is not yet the
def1nitive recording For there
is more eXaltation in this last
testament than Scherchen
gives us. Personally I am par
tial to the Krips-London re-
cording, in which the upper
parts are taken by boys
voices. They give the music
a wonderful freshness, and
perhaps this is a decisive diff
ference It is the approach
consistent with the sublime
purity and simplicity of Mo-
zart's music. If another record
ing is needed, perhaps the
Vienna Choir Boys and Bruno
Walter should be recruited.
The def1nitive recording, in
cidentally, is unlikely to be
one squeezed AS is West
minster's-onto one LIP. Econ