Mozart : Symphonies Nos. 40 & 41

Album review

This 2018 BR Klassik release by Herbert Blomstedt and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra appears to be yet another mainstream rendition of Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor and the Symphony No. 41 in C major, "Jupiter," but in this time of historically informed performances on period instruments, it's almost a novelty. In these live performances, Blomstedt doesn't make any overt attempts at following 18th century practices, nor does he scale down the ensemble to the size of a Classical orchestra, and the only aspects of historical interpretation that are obvious are the fairly brisk tempos and the taking of repeats, which are comparatively small concessions to authenticity. Beyond that, little separates Blomstedt's readings from many recordings from the mid-20th century, which predated the movement for early music scholarship, and listeners who grew up hearing Mozart played by modern symphony orchestras will take to this album readily. However, Blomstedt avoids the over-blending and bland homogeneity of many older performances and instead strives for distinctive tone colors, particularly in the woodwinds, and transparency of the counterpoint, which is essential in Mozart. Because so much attention is paid to conveying the music with absolute clarity, listeners from the traditionalist and revisionist camps can find much to appreciate in Blomstedt's meticulous and intensely focused performances.

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