Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, Bassoon Concerto & Oboe Concerto

It says something about the stellar quality of conductor Herbert von Karajan’s Berlin Philharmonic in the 1970s that, for this rereleased double-album of Mozart wind concertos, the orchestra drew all three soloists from among its own members. Karl Leister leads off in the Clarinet Concerto, where the gently flowing pulse imparted by Karajan in the serene “Adagio” neatly sidesteps any hint of sentimentality. Leister relishes the playfully good-humoured clarinet writing in the finale, counterpoised by keenly accented string responses in the orchestra. Seasoned Mozart lovers will spot a prototype of “Porgi amor”, an aria from Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro, in the Bassoon Concerto’s dreamy slow movement. Günter Piesk is the mellifluous soloist, and he is equally impressive in the burbling acrobatics of the concerto’s genial finale. Silken fluidity marks Lothar Koch’s traversal of the Oboe Concerto, with chirruping trills in the opening movement and precision-tooled agility in the joyful finale.