Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Orchestra, having had great success with their Telarc recordings of the later symphonies, are equally lively in these early works from Mozart's Salzburg period. As in other Mozart releases, speeds tend to be fast. Mackerras is not just consistently faster than such a rival as James Levine on DG—who with the Vienna Philharmonic is recorded far more closely in drier sound—–but is often faster than the Academy of Ancient Music, too, in their period performances for L'Oiseau-Lyre. In one instance, the contrast is astonishing. In the second of the three little linked movements of No. 23 Mackerras adopts a very brisk Andantino grazioso, turning it into a lilting Landler, quite different from other performances, very fresh and delightful like a country dance.
Symphonies Nos. 22 and 23 are both three-movement miniatures, but the three preceding symphonies each bring more extended four-movement structures. Like the AAM in their complete Mozart cycle, Mackerras gives the alternative Andantino grazioso slow movement of No. 19, and places it rather awkwardly immediately after the movement it replaces, making it essential to programme the CD beforehand. The Telarc recording is reverberant, as in the later symphonies, giving relatively weighty textures, but with such light scoring there is ample clarity. Harpsichord continuo is perfectly clear, and braying horns ride beautifully over the full ensemble in such a movement as the festive opening Allegro of No. 20.
When the five symphonies add up to a disc of over 73 minutes, few will complain that Mackerras is less meticulous about observing every single repeat than he was with the later masterpieces. Levine's DG disc is much less generous, coupling Nos. 21, 22 and 23 with No. 24 alone, another brief work.'