This pairing of
Mozart
's first and last symphonies, with the
Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488
, as an entr'acte, inaugurates a complete cycle of
's symphonies, commissioned by the
Aparte
label from the historical-instrument group
Il Pomo d'Oro
and its leader,
Maxim Emelyanychev
. Each release will include an extra work that is relevant to the symphonies in some way; this one works especially well because there are thematic links among the
Symphony No. 1 in E flat major, K. 16
, the
Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551
, and the
. The indications for the series from this initial release are promising.
Emelyanychev
perhaps finds more in the eight-year-old
's
Symphony No. 1
than is actually there, but his lively, bumptious performance captures some of what the prodigy's initial audiences must have felt. The highlight here may be the
Piano Concerto No. 23
, where
, playing fortepiano as well as conducting, selects an 1823
Graf
instrument with a wonderful rounded tone. One might object that this dates from almost 40 years later than
's concerto, but pure date correspondence is not the best criterion for selection;
may have had a sound ideal for his writing, and this instrument may catch it. Sample the exquisitely mysterious slow movement, where the piano's sound is haunting. The
"Jupiter" Symphony
is also quite fresh, with well-sculpted lines that reveal plenty of detail. The only complaint here is the unidiomatic church sound that tends to swallow up the marvelous sound of
's fortepiano; it remains to be seen where future albums in the cycle will be recorded. ~ James Manheim