Wolfgang Sawallisch offers a varied if exclusively Germanic program for this live Salzburg Festival concert from 1973. The opening Schubert Symphony No. 3 flows with Mozartean grace under Sawallisch's baton, with finely articulated playing from the London Symphony strings, especially in the outer movements. Next, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau proves his inimitable self in Mozart's "Nach der welschen Art und Weisel", "Un bacio di mano", and "Mentre ti lascio, o figlia", his golden tone mixed with healthy doses of self-assured style.
The musical atmosphere changes dramatically with Kurt Weill's angular First Symphony. Fans of Weill's stage work will have their hands full trying to recognize him in this largely dissonant early piece, composed during Weill's study with Busoni. Sawallisch faces the music head on, shirking not a bit on its vehemence, drawing virtuosic, suitably hard-knuckled playing from the orchestra. Yet he also succeeds at clarifying the often dense textures and exposing hints of lyricism lying beneath the stern surface.
Sawallisch's Strauss credentials come to the fore in this vivacious, rhythmically alert rendition of Till Eulenspiegel, which finds the London Symphony players keenly on their toes. That said, the conductor's later live recording with the Philadelphia Orchestra boasts an even more raucous temperament, with some simply stunning brass playing. But that's only one item from the bunch, and the beauty of this concert recording is that it allows you to experience an eclectic selection of works without having to change discs. The well-balanced Austrian Radio recording, though certainly not studio quality, offers sufficient presence and impact to faithfully relay the event.
