The
Salzburg Chamber Soloists are claimed in the booklet to have been formed with the intention "to perform orchestral chamber music with the freedom of soloists." It's not clear what this means, exactly; the group of about 18 musicians actually can boast of fairly precise ensemble work. The most unusual aspect of these readings of
Mozart's three divertimenti or Salzburg Symphonies (K. 136, 137, and 138) is the phrasing employed by violinist and leader
Lavard Skou Larsen. The strings -- actually a fairly large group for these sprightly little pieces -- attack strongly and carry through each phrase with a rather hard, unyielding edge. Tempos are quick, and the overall effect is sharp rather than graceful. It's either bracing or harsh, depending on your perspective, but there are plenty of other versions of these pieces out there for listeners who don't take to this unorthodox approach. Another distinctive feature of this release is the presence of some comparative rarities. There are two arrangements of
Mozart overtures by the younger Salzburg composer Sigismund Neukomm, who also arranged music by
Haydn; he goosed the productions of each composer with additional string and wind parts. The disc concludes with a Symphony in B flat major by Leopold Mozart, a brief little collection of arppegiated chords that is given some heft and bite by
Skou Larsen's approach. Those dependent on English-language booklet notes should note the startling sloppiness of the translation provided here ("In 2006, the 250 years celebrities of
W.A. Mozart's birth . . ."), but even the original German notes are frustrating, with little information on the more unusual music on the program.