When just over a year ago Michael Dutton launched his budget-price Essential Archive series of historical recordings he understandably chose three of Beecham’s Mozart symphony recordings of the 1930s for one of the first discs, coupling the Haffner, the Linz and the Prague (1/96). This new issue, just as welcome, has the three preceding symphonies, starting with what must stand as by far the most controversial performance of the series.
One can accept the absence of exposition repeats, and can adjust to Beecham’s expansiveness and affectionate manner in all the slow movements, but in No. 29 the funereal pace of the opening movement as well as of the Minuet are very hard to take, even if because of Beecham’s persuasive manners, with finely graded dynamics, one does get used to them. I was surprised to find that though Klemperer in his rugged account, recently reissued by Testament (3/97), is noticeably faster, Karl Bohm, in his collected Mozart series, newly reissued (see above), takes this movement at an identical speed, but is helped by the rather crisper ensemble of the Berlin Philharmonic.
In his note Lyndon Jenkins points out that Beecham had conducted No. 29 four times in the month before he recorded it, which must mean that the speeds were well calculated. In the finales Beecham is never slow, faster than Bohm in all three, and all three find him at his most exhilarating, with the LPO horns and trumpets ringing out beautifully. As in the earlier issue, the Dutton transfers are outstanding, fuller and more forward with less background than in the earlier EMI transfers in a three-disc box now deleted (2/91). I hope Dutton will now bring out the last three symphonies as well.'