Word: argos
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Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola, K. 364, Symphony No. 32 (Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Neville Marriner conductor; Argo, $5.95). Whether accompanying French-horn players (see above) or reinterpreting the Baroque repertory (the Bach orchestral Suites, the Handel Concerti Grossi, Op. 6), Neville Marriner is one of the best and busiest maestros on the London recording scene. His Mozart, an artful shading of sinew, sensuousness and sonority, is as good as anything he does. Indeed, Nachtmusik is the freshest, rosiest reading of that serenade to come along in years...
...reason alone will never convince everybody. Many listeners cannot adapt to an orchestral sound not of the nineteenth century, no matter what the composition being played. It is for these people, the majority of the buying public (and of practicing professional musicians, for that matter) to whom the Argo release of the Bach orchestral suites is aimed. Neville Marriner leads the excellent Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields through their well-rehearsed paces...
...Argo (ARG ZRG687-8) issue is simply a conservative product, joining the other seven traditional recordings of the Suites listed in Schwann's. It says practically nothing new. There is passing obeisance to research, evident in the over-dotted rhythms of the overtures and in some imaginatively-ornamented solo passages. The flute and harpsichord playing, by William Bennett and Thurston Dart respectively, is first-rate. But this is just another rendition with tempos quicker than usual. If you are wearing out your old Herman Scherchen or Karl Ristenpart' discs, then this would be a good replacement...
Cavalli: L'Ormindo (Argo). Something practically unheard-of: an authentic, workable masterpiece miraculously retrieved from the past. One of the 17th century Venetian composers influenced by Monteverdi, Francesco Cavalli wrote melodiously, with great penetration into the personal relationships of his characters. The present recording stems from an edition pieced together by Raymond Leppard from musical fragments for a Glyndebourne production in 1967. The result is musically and dramatically spellbinding...
DIVERTIMENTI, K. 136, K. 137, K. 138; SERENATA NOTTURNA, K. 239 (Argo). One of the world's best new chamber orchestras is the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, which took its name from the old London church where it made its debut a decade ago. With Concertmaster Neville Marriner directing in 18th century style from the first desk, the 16-man ensemble achieves a dramatic precision that would do credit to Toscanini. The three Divertimenti for strings, written when Mozart was 16, are stunning miniatures in Italian rococo symphonic style. The Serenata Notturna, scored for two small...