Performances of
Mozart
's earliest symphonies are not exactly rare; the sheer novelty of a relatively competent symphony by an eight-year-old (the
Symphony No. 1 in E flat major, K. 16
, of 1764) has drawn ensembles from
's time to our own. Heard here are the works generally numbered Symphonies Nos.
1
,
4
, and
5
(
2
and
3
were not by
), plus two other unnumbered works, an
F major symphony
and a
G major
work sometimes known as
"Old Lambach."
The unnumbered pieces are a bit rarer, for their authenticity was only recently determined, but they mark critical steps in
's development. All were written by 1766 when
was ten. There are also five brief contradances from
's last years; this sounds odd, but they work all right, for dance rhythms also appear in the early pieces. The big news is the performances by the
Freiburger Barockorchester
and conductor
Gottfried von der Goltz
. There are lots of recordings where these works are made to sound rather precious, but the
Freiburgers
treat them with the respect an adult work would deserve. They are given vigorous, punchy readings that vividly capture the sense of
spilling over the edges of the forms he inherited from his models, principally
Karl Friedrich Abel
Johann Christian Bach
, and to a lesser extent his father,
Leopold
.
's symphonic writing saw impressive development in the two and a half years or so covered by the period represented on this album, and
von der Goltz
is alert to the greater complexity found in each new work. There are 20 musicians plus a harpsichord, with a few more added for the contradances. The
Little Tribeca
engineering outfit contributes excellent sound from the Ensemblehaus in Freiburg, and all in all, this may become the standard recording of
's childhood symphonic efforts. ~ James Manheim