COMPOSERS: Mozart
LABELS: DG Originals
WORKS: Concert arias
PERFORMER: Gundula Janowitz (soprano); Vienna SO/Wilfried Boettcher
CATALOGUE NO: 449 723-2 ADD (1967)
There’s some fascinating material on this disc of arias Mozart wrote for concert use or to be inserted into revivals of operas by other composers, but the sound is disappointing, with Janowitz’s voice disconnected from the accompaniment and thin in its higher range. Additionally, the Vienna SO lacks the tonal excellence of its more august neighbour, and Wilfried Boettcher’s conducting is undistinguished. If unflatteringly recorded, Janowitz proves interpretatively sound, and the booklet supplies excellent documentation. George Hall
Mozart: Concert arias
There’s some fascinating material on this disc of arias Mozart wrote for concert use or to be inserted into revivals of operas by other composers, but the sound is disappointing, with Janowitz’s voice disconnected from the accompaniment and thin in its higher range. Additionally, the Vienna SO lacks the tonal excellence of its more august neighbour, and Wilfried Boettcher’s conducting is undistinguished. If unflatteringly recorded, Janowitz proves interpretatively sound, and the booklet supplies excellent documentation. George Hall
Our rating
4
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:10 pm