The fortieth anniversary of the Marlboro Festival proceeds with the second installment of CD reissues, notably these wind-music recordings which have previously been available only by mail order. The Marcel Moyse-conducted Mozart serenade, under those circumstances, may not have come to the attention of many who would appreciate its special properties: striking leisurely main tempos, always taken with adequate bite and a delicious sense of loft; wind playing of relaxed mastery, if not always of the greatest intonational purity; a summery, humid ensemble tone quality. The recording was made in 1975 and was originally issued on Marlboro Recording Society LP MR-11, later on cassette MRSC-11. The sound pickup is closely and finely balanced. For those who find one or another movements of every competing version taken a shade too fast for their taste, here is the obvious answer. Strongly recommended! Ma and Heller in the cello/bassoon duo sonata are a blindingly polished bonus, though they miss some of the humor.
