If you're looking for a single set that contains excellent performances of all
Mozart's concertos for strings and winds, look no further. While some might argue that there are better performances, or at least comparably fine recorded performances, available -- the velvet elegance of
Arthur Grumiaux for the violin concertos or the heroic humanity of
Dennis Brain in the horn concertos -- no one would argue that these are not all first-rate performances recorded in translucent sound. Nor would any argue that
Henryk Szeryng's violin concertos are not wonderfully graceful, that
Alan Civil's horn concertos are not deeply soulful, that
Klaus Thunemann's bassoon concerto is not dryly amusing, or that
Karl Leister's clarinet concerto is not one of the beautifully shaped and expressively phrased performances of the work ever recorded. While four discs of string concertos, including the rondos, the Concertone for two violins, Sinfonia concertante for violin and viola, and the Sinfonia concertante for violin, viola, and cello, and five discs of wind concertosplus the horn rondo and the Sinfonia concertante for flute, oboe, horn, and bassoon and the Sinfonia concertante for oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon may be more than the casual listener might care to have on the shelf, this set contains excellent performances of all
Mozart's concertos for string and winds. Philips sound is like the finest crystal -- nearly transparent.