The
Scottish Chamber Orchestra, which has been around since the early 1970s, has never been known as a historical-performance group, but here it delivers a superb performance in an essentially historical style. In the Divertimento in D major for two horns and strings, K. 334, the performance features beautifully played natural horns from Pip Eastop and
Harry Johnstone, without a squawk in the room. The string players apparently use modern bows and strings, but there's only one player per part, and the balance and dimensions of the entire performance are historically appropriate. The result, in the Divertimento at least, is a sparkling performance that manages the trick of catching the inexhaustible melodic invention in
Mozart's music of this period. It has an attractive sense of being under perfect ensemble control from violinist and leader
Alexander Janiczek. There are still lots of performances out there that deploy a full complement of strings and make this 50-minute work into a plodding, rambling chore, and this version makes as good an introduction as any to the world of
Mozart's incidental chamber music. The Oboe Quartet in F major, a more straightforward performance, is not quite as well played, but excellent Super Audio sound in both pieces is another plus. Highly recommended.