Recorded at the end of a long and distinguished career, Austrian conductor
Josef Krips' early-'70s stereo Philips' recording of Mozart's last 20 symphonies with the Dutch
Concertgebouw Orchestra was one of the touchstones of the repertorie for decades. Grand but fine-grained, colorful but subtly blended, straightforward but stylishly elegant, bright-eyed but warmhearted,
Krips and the
Concertgebouw perform the impossible trick of balancing Mozart's music between the human and the sublime. And while much of the glamour of these performances seemed to fade with the rise of the period instrument, in this smartly remastered 2007 Decca six-disc collection,
Krips and the
Concertgebouw sound as strong, vital, and persuasive as ever. Those who already know and admire the graceful
Marriner and the masterful
Böhm recordings of these works should surely check out
Krips. And those who only know and admire the slimmer and, some would say, slighter
Hogwood and
Pinnock recordings should definitely check out
Krips.