Leinsdorf: Mozart – The Symphonies (7 CD box set, APE)

Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Erich Leinsdorf
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 7 CD box set
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Size: 1.92 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 1
001 Symphony #1, Es-dur, K16. 01 Molto allegro
002 Symphony #1, Es-dur, K16. 02 Andante
003 Symphony #1, Es-dur, K16. 03 Presto
004 Symphony #2, B-dur, K17. 01 Allegro
005 Symphony #2, B-dur, K17. 02 Andante
006 Symphony #2, B-dur, K17. 03 Minuetto I & II
007 Symphony #2, B-dur, K17. 04 Presto
008 Symphony #3, Es-dur, K18. 01 Molto allegro
009 Symphony #3, Es-dur, K18. 02 Andante
010 Symphony #3, Es-dur, K18. 03 Presto
011 Symphony #4, D-dur, K19. 01 Allegro
012 Symphony #4, D-dur, K19. 02 Andante
013 Symphony #4, D-dur, K19. 03 Presto
014 Symphony #5, B-dur, K22. 01 Allegro
015 Symphony #5, B-dur, K22. 02 Andante
016 Symphony #5, B-dur, K22. 03 Molto allegro
017 Symphony #6, F-dur, K43. 01 Allegro
018 Symphony #6, F-dur, K43. 02 Andante
019 Symphony #6, F-dur, K43. 03 Menuetto
020 Symphony #6, F-dur, K43. 04 Allegro
021 Symphony #7, D-dur, K45. 01 Allegro
022 Symphony #7, D-dur, K45. 02 Andante
023 Symphony #7, D-dur, K45. 03 Menuetto
024 Symphony #7, D-dur, K45. 04 Molto allegro
025 Symphony #8, D-dur, K48. 01 Allegro
026 Symphony #8, D-dur, K48. 02 Andante
027 Symphony #8, D-dur, K48. 03 Menuetto
028 Symphony #8, D-dur, K48. 04 Molto allegro
029 Symphony #9, C-dur, K73. 01 Allegro
030 Symphony #9, C-dur, K73. 02 Andante
031 Symphony #9, C-dur, K73. 03 Menuetto
032 Symphony #9, C-dur, K73. 04 Molto allegro

CD 2
033 Symphony #10, G-dur, K74. 01 Allegro
034 Symphony #10, G-dur, K74. 02 Andante
035 Symphony #10, G-dur, K74. 03 Allegro
036 Symphony #11, D-dur, K84. 01 Allegro
037 Symphony #11, D-dur, K84. 02 Andante
038 Symphony #11, D-dur, K84. 03 Allegro
039 Symphony #12, G-dur, K110. 01 Allegro
040 Symphony #12, G-dur, K110. 02 Andante
041 Symphony #12, G-dur, K110. 03 Menuetto
042 Symphony #12, G-dur, K110. 04 Allegro
043 Symphony #13, F-dur, K112. 01 Allegro
044 Symphony #13, F-dur, K112. 02 Andante
045 Symphony #13, F-dur, K112. 03 Menuetto
046 Symphony #13, F-dur, K112. 04 Molto allegro
047 Symphony #14, A-dur, K114. 01 Allegro moderato
048 Symphony #14, A-dur, K114. 02 Andante
049 Symphony #14, A-dur, K114. 03 Menuetto
050 Symphony #14, A-dur, K114. 04 Molto allegro
051 Symphony #15, G-dur, K124. 01 Allegro
052 Symphony #15, G-dur, K124. 02 Andante
053 Symphony #15, G-dur, K124. 03 Menuette
054 Symphony #15, G-dur, K124. 04 Presto
055 Symphony #16, C-dur, K128. 01 Allegro maestoso
056 Symphony #16, C-dur, K128. 02 Andante grazioso
057 Symphony #16, C-dur, K128. 03 Allegro
058 Symphony #17, G-dur, K129. 01 Allegro
059 Symphony #17, G-dur, K129. 02 Andante
060 Symphony #17, G-dur, K129. 03 Allegro

CD 3
061 Symphony #18, F-dur, K130. 01 Allegro
062 Symphony #18, F-dur, K130. 02 Andante grazioso
063 Symphony #18, F-dur, K130. 03 Menuetto
064 Symphony #18, F-dur, K130. 04 Molto allegro
065 Symphony #19, Es-dur, K132. 01 Allegro
066 Symphony #19, Es-dur, K132. 02 Andante
067 Symphony #19, Es-dur, K132. 03 Menuetto
068 Symphony #19, Es-dur, K132. 04 Allegro
069 Symphony #19, Es-dur, K132. 05 02b Andante grazioso (original second movement)
070 Symphony #20, D-dur, K133. 01 Allegro
071 Symphony #20, D-dur, K133. 02 Andante
072 Symphony #20, D-dur, K133. 03 Menuetto
073 Symphony #20, D-dur, K133. 04 Allegro
074 Symphony #21, A-dur, K134. 01 Allegro
075 Symphony #21, A-dur, K134. 02 Andante
076 Symphony #21, A-dur, K134. 03 Menuetto
077 Symphony #21, A-dur, K134. 04 Allegro
078 Symphony #22, C-dur, K162. 01 Allegro assai
079 Symphony #22, C-dur, K162. 02 Andante grazioso
080 Symphony #22, C-dur, K162. 03 Presto assai

CD 4
081 Symphony #23 in D Major K181. 01 Allegro spiritoso
082 Symphony #23 in D Major K181. 02 Andantino Grazioso
083 Symphony #23 in D Major K181. 03 Presto assai
084 Symphony #24 in B Flat Major K182. 01 Allegro spiritoso
085 Symphony #24 in B Flat Major K182. 02 Andantino grazioso
086 Symphony #24 in B Flat Major K182. 03 Allegro
087 Symphony #25 in G Minor K183. 01 Allegro con brio
088 Symphony #25 in G Minor K183. 02 Andante
089 Symphony #25 in G Minor K183. 03 Menuetto – trio – menuetto
090 Symphony #25 in G Minor K183. 04 Allegro
091 Symphony #26 in E Flat Major K184. 01 Molto Presto
092 Symphony #26 in E Flat Major K184. 02 Andante
093 Symphony #26 in E Flat Major K184 03 Rondo Allegro
094 Symphony #28 in C Major K200. 01 Allegro spiritoso
095 Symphony #28 in C Major K200. 02 Andante
096 Symphony #28 in C Major K200. 03 Menuetto Allegretto – trio – menuetto
097 Symphony #28 in C Major K200. 04 Presto
098 Symphony #29 in A Major K201. 01 Allegro moderato
099 Symphony #29 in A Major K201. 02 Andante
100 Symphony #29 in A Major K201. 03 Menuetto – trio – menuetto
101 Symphony #29 in A Major K201. 04 Allegro con spirito

CD 5
102 Symphony #27, G-dur, K199. 01 Allegro
103 Symphony #27, G-dur, K199. 02 Andantino grazioso
104 Symphony #27, G-dur, K199. 03 Presto Allegro
105 Symphony #30, D-dur, K202. 01 Molto Allegro
106 Symphony #30, D-dur, K202. 02 Andantino con moto
107 Symphony #30, D-dur, K202. 03 Menuetto
108 Symphony #30, D-dur, K202. 04 Presto
109 Symphony #31, D-dur, K297, ‘Paris’. 01 Allegro assai
110 Symphony #31, D-dur, K297, ‘Paris’. 02 Andante
111 Symphony #31, D-dur, K297, ‘Paris’. 03 Allegro
112 Symphony #32, G-dur, K318. 01 Allegro spritoso
113 Symphony #32, G-dur, K318. 02 Andante
114 Symphony #32, G-dur, K318. 03 Primo tempo
115 Symphony #34, C-dur, K338. 01 Allegro vivace
116 Symphony #34, C-dur, K338. 02 Allegretto
117 Symphony #34, C-dur, K338. 03 Allegro vivace
118 Symphony #35, D-dur, K385, ‘Haffner’. 01 Allegro con spirito
119 Symphony #35, D-dur, K385, ‘Haffner’. 02 Andante
120 Symphony #35, D-dur, K385, ‘Haffner’. 03 Menuetto
121 Symphony #35, D-dur, K385, ‘Haffner’. 04 Presto

CD 6
122 Symphony #33, B-dur, K319. 01 Allegro assai
123 Symphony #33, B-dur, K319. 02 Andante moderato
124 Symphony #33, B-dur, K319. 03 Menuetto
125 Symphony #33, B-dur, K319. 04 Allegro assai
126 Symphony #36, C-dur, K425, ‘Linz’. 01 Adagio. Allegro spiritoso
127 Symphony #36, C-dur, K425, ‘Linz’. 02 Andante
128 Symphony #36, C-dur, K425, ‘Linz’. 03 Menuetto
129 Symphony #36, C-dur, K425, ‘Linz’. 04 Presto
130 Symphony #38, D-dur, K504, ‘Prague’. 01 Adagio. Allegro
131 Symphony #38, D-dur, K504, ‘Prague’. 02 Andante
132 Symphony #38, D-dur, K504, ‘Prague’. 03 Finale.Presto

CD 7
133 Symphony #39, Es-dur, K543. 01 Adagio. Allegro
134 Symphony #39, Es-dur, K543. 02 Andante con moto
135 Symphony #39, Es-dur, K543. 03 Menuetto. Allegretto
136 Symphony #39, Es-dur, K543. 04 Finale. Allegro
137 Symphony #40, g-moll, K550. 01 Molto allegro
138 Symphony #40, g-moll, K550. 02 Andante
139 Symphony #40, g-moll, K550. 03 Menuetto. Allegretto
140 Symphony #40, g-moll, K550. 04 Allegro assai
141 Symphony #41, C-dur, K551, ‘Jupiter’. 01 Allegro vivace
142 Symphony #41, C-dur, K551, ‘Jupiter’. 02 Andante cantabile
143 Symphony #41, C-dur, K551, ‘Jupiter’. 03 Menuetto. Allegretto
144 Symphony #41, C-dur, K551, ‘Jupiter’. 04 Molto allegro

Hare trounces Tortoise

Here on Amazonia, any number of philippics are directed against Leinsdorf. They may be justified. I don’t know. This is my first encounter. Until recently, I was unaware of this set’s existence. It was commissioned to commemorate the Bicentenary back in 1956 and the orchestra is the Royal Philharmonic, Beecham’s last orchestra. At the time of the recording, it was a crack unit. The first half of the cycle is in stereo, the remainder is atmospheric mono. DG has successfully revamped the sound.

This cycle is amazing. As other reviewers have noted, this is propulsive Mozart in its outer movements and minuets – it’s far removed from the Karl Bohm Memorial Mortuary. But musicality is not ditched in the slipstream: Leinsdorf never forgets to sing. O yes indeed: there’s no substitute for imaginative phrasing in this domain and you’ll find it here aplenty. It’s lithe enough to quell the objections of the Period Practice Taliban.

If you want to sample the calibre of this music-making, observe K 129, Mozart’s paean of boyhood or the panache of the Paris, K 297. To float like a butterfly and sting like a bee! Nor is there any soup: ostinatos are crystal clear.

This cycle also includes the rarely heard K 17 and K 18 (neither of which is by Mozart) and K 444 in its entirety (Mozart wrote only the slow introduction to this symphony by Michael Haydn). Better still, there are no repeats which is a blessing for those who’ve heard these works countless times.

I can’t fault this cycle to any great degree. Perhaps there’s a lack of expressive weight in the occasional climax; the Jupiter is not especially illuminative and the slow introduction to the Linz is on the fast side.

This is easily the most musical and punchy cycle I have ever heard. It’s gun stuff. Like a Magnum Forty-Four, it packs an enormous wallop – every other contender has reason to be wary as they strut down the main street of Tombstone.

Lean Mozart from “the Right hand of Toscanini”

Erich Leinsdorf is best known in the United States from his RCA recordings of Romantic and 20th century repertoire with the Boston Symphony from the 1960s, but he also recorded – here released anew by Universal – the first integral cycle of Mozart’s Symphonies in the late 1950s with the “Philharmonic Symphony of London”, actually Sir Thomas Beecham’s Royal Philharmonic under a different name.

Leinsdorf served as an assistant to Toscanini in the late 1930s (he was in his 20s then) and became known as “The Right hand of Toscanini” as a nick-name. Leinsdorf also emphasizes the Classical, the linearity and lightness of Mozart: here Toscanini’s influence can be heard, in contrast to the more Romantic Bruno Walter, Karl Bohm, of Otto Klemperer.

Leinsdorf and the RPO play with fast tempos in Allegro movements especially, and the sound, though clear and up front, is rather dry. Sometimes the woodwinds may seem a bit sloppy in articulation – the bassoon solo in Symphony 3: III, is one prime example, but the overall result is very musical, graceful, and well: Mozartean. Repeats are almost never taken, even in 1st movement Allegros which are in Sonata-Allegro form: the custom of the mid-late 1950s when these recordings were made in London.

Leinsdorf SERVES Mozart here. If you are a fan of Toscanini or George Szell, and their Mozart, wishing for an integral recording of the Symphonies by then, this is as close as you will be able to get.

Symphonies 1-20 are in stereo; 21-41 are mono. The mono sound is very clear and not congested, and I enjoyed the mono recordings as much as the stereo ones.

I can recommend Leinsdorf, but would also advise supplementing these with the complete Mozart Symphonies by Karl Bohm/Berlin Philharmonic (DG, 10 CD set) which sets the standard. The Bohm/Berlin are all stereo, recorded 1960-69, and sound as good or better than many digital recordings made in the 1990s and 2000 decade.