Symphonies 25 28 & 29
Sir Charles Mackerras has perfect pitch when it comes to Mozart, and his high-voltage 1987 accounts of these pre-Vienna symphonies are stylistically informed and splendidly musical: indeed, the almost operatic treatment of the "little" G Minor Symphony conveys the score's storm-and-stress inspiration with unusual force. The performances are excitingly played, and cleanly too, with the Prague musicians showing excellent ensemble, often at breakneck tempos. The recording, made at the House of Artists, sounds superb.--Ted Libbey