Klaus Tennstedt, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and two masterpieces of the Austro-German symphonic tradition. Somehow one barely dares to hope this programme might equal, never mind exceed, the sum of its inspiring parts. Happily, this concert is indeed a delight from start to finish. The BSO had been playing Mozart's "Haffner" Symphony regularly since 1885, with Tennstedt following in the footsteps of such august colleagues as Georges Enescu, Leonard Bergstein and Pierre Monteux. Mahler's Symphony No.4 was a different story, its first full performances in Boston coming only in March 1945.
This version of Mozart's Symphony No.35 provide an exemple of first-class, lithe, "big-band" Mozart, slightly old-school but never heavy. Indeed the performance in this excerpt is an airy and joyous rendition of the piece. The Mahler interpretation too is remarkably similar to the audio recording of Tennstedt in this piece described in Penguin Guide as a "strong, spacious reading which yet conveys an innocence entirely in keeping with this most endearing of the Mahler symphonies."
