I was at the Festival Hall Last night for the Philharmonia conducted by Andras Schiff. The programme was Mozart's Symphony 25 in G minor; Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No 2 n D minor; and Haydn's Symphony No 104 in D (London). All perfectly pleasant pieces, all quite jolly.
But I didn't come away with any great sense of excitement or passion. It might have been because I was sitting in the gods - not a good choice, I think. Or maybe it was because it was the night of the coughs. There was a very irritating woman who didn't seem able to stop coughing, especially during the slow movements. Shame she was sitting in my seat...Another woman actually left the hall for coughing and there came a point in the Haydn where I think half the audience just gave up any attempts to stop coughing. A couple of the orchestra also seemed to be drinking water at every opportunity. I think I shall conclude that although the 25th may be the first of Mozart's 'mature' (he was 17 when he wrote it...) symphonies, its pleasantness is without doubt, and I had a minor fit "Not another fucking 40" as I searched for a presumably long-ago chewed tape of it, I won't be in a hurry to replace it in my collection.
Although I think I am possibly listening to the worst ever 40, sounding like it was recorded onto Memorex tape from the other side of the room from a dodgy mono Autochanger record player - Von Karajan conducting the Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino dell'Eiar. Christ in a basket it was recorded in October 1942, and the one side of sleeve notes are in Spanish. Only. God knows where that CD came from. I wonder if I paid money for it? Good money? I bet it was only the reserves of the Orchestra, too. Ooh, look, the only bit of English says
Due to the antiquity of the Original Masters, we kindly ask the listener to understand that some of the pieces may present some deficiencies in the sound.
Actually, it may not be as Wolfgang, Herbert or God intended, but, you know, it has a certain charm... (the disc also contains 35 and 41)
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