Gramophone's Top Choice: Mackerras's Mozart
Find out why Gramophone named Sir Charles Mackerras's recording of Symphony No. 40 as its top choice
Music critic and musicologist Natasha Loges was tasked by BBC Radio 3's Record Review to choose only five indispensable recordings of Mozart. With a wealth of works and recordings to choose from we are especially thrilled that Natasha choose our recording of Symphony No. 35 in D major (Haffner), K. 385 as one of her five. This symphony features on Sir Charles Mackerras' second recording of Mozart symphonies with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra: Mozart: Symphonies 29, 31 (Paris), 32, 35 (Haffner) & 36 (Linz).
Presenter Andrew McGregor introduced it as "a highly regarded recording" and Natasha summed up why this was one of her must-have recordings saying, "It's a very full-blooded sound but it's never anything less than agile. The pace is exuberant, but never sounds hasty … the blend and balance of the instrumental timbes is also very special cos it has a chamber music quality …"