This Oscar Fritz Schuh production was recorded live at the Salzburg Festival in the bicentenary anniversary of Mozart’s birth, when it was described by a Salzburg journalist as ‘the obedient daughter of the music’. Another critic claimed that George Szell’s conducting ‘brought out all the youth and freshness of this fresh and youthful work’. It is tempting to put those verdicts to the test now that Orfeo has remastered and issued this radio recording.

Orfeo claims that Szell ‘leads an ebullient performance that is rich in contrasts’. This is a fair description of the overture, with bustling strings and the clanging janissary band evidently having a great time. The middle section is meticulously poised, paving the way for a leisurely performance of Belmonte’s ‘Hier soll ich dich denn sehen’. Although it is good to hear Rudolf Schock’s Belmonte spout off like an assertive physical hero instead of a lovesick puppy, his voice is forceful and pinched as his register ascends: the singing is rarely smooth and seductive enough.

The sparring between Schock’s Belmonte and Kurt Böhme’s Osmin brings out the comedy, largely owing to Böhme’s witty delivery that never compromises vocal quality. In fact, the most memorable moments in this historic performance involve Osmin in some way: the duet ‘Ich gehe, doch rate ich dir’ in which he is mocked by Blonde, getting drunk in the duet ‘Vivat Bacchus’ and his deliciously vengeful aria ‘Ha, wie will ich triumphieren’.

The deeper emotions are thoroughly represented by Erika Köth’s sincere Konstanze. Her frequently swooping glissando has not dated well but Szell’s resolute shaping of ‘Marten aller Arten’ leaves one in no doubt about Konstanze’s status as Mozart’s most formidable heroine. Szell ensures that Mozart’s music always remains sympathetic to the situation and characters onstage, although some uneven singing and a slightly distant orchestral sound can hardly compete with the likes of Sir Charles Mackerras’s fabulous Telarc recording with Scottish forces. But nearly 50 years on, it remains fair to say that Szell’s performance brings out all the youth and freshness of Mozart’s flamboyant Singspiel.