Alessio Allegrini, besides being an outstanding musician (before he was 30, he had served as first horn in La Scala Orchestra, the
Berlin Philharmonic, the
Bavarian Radio Symphony, and the
Mahler Chamber Orchestra), has a demonstrated commitment to the social responsibility of musicians, and in 2009 founded the Musicians for Human Rights movement, and its orchestra. He wrote "the problem for me is not how to produce the sound, but how -- and where -- to send it." The liveliness and communicativeness of his playing are indicators of his priority. His playing is technically flawless and his engagement and pleasure in the music is practically palpable. His tone is lovely and warm, at the extreme mellow end of horn's timbral spectrum. Some listeners may find it almost covered-sounding when compared with the somewhat brighter sound that is more typically employed for music of the Classical era, but that will be a matter of taste for individuals to decide.
Allegrini uses a modern valve horn so this would not be the recording of choice for anyone who demands the use of a period instrument. He is inventive but judicious in his use of ornamentation, which adds a nice spiciness to his interpretation. The recording is the first in
Claudio Abbado's projected series of recordings of Mozart's concertos for wind instruments with his own Mozart Orchestra, and it's an auspicious beginning.
Abbado's textures are transparent and his tempos are wonderfully fleet in the fast movements, particularly in the First Concerto, a reminder that this is music that is supposed to be fun. A sunny atmosphere suffuses all the movements of these concertos, whether the mood is high-spirited, serenely lyrical, or just plain silly, and
Abbado and
Allegrini express that sense of happiness beautifully. The sound of the live recordings, made at concerts over the course of several years, is consistently clean, warm, and realistic.