Given the very positive projection of London Winds' Hyperion set, these classic performances of a previous generation should find a special niche in the catalogue. Advances in technology have made them sound more contained than one remembered, but there is much to be said for an intimate balance in these works.
The Op. 7 Serenade is typical of the Ensemble at their best. Textures are blended with evident care, nothing is overbearing or ill-tuned, and there are appropriate premonitions of the later, 'autumnal' Strauss. The Op. 4 Suite comes off slightly less well; the sound-stage seems a little overcrowded and the music-making a little 'straight'.
Edo de Waart's direction of the Sonatina No. 1, Aus der Werkstatt eines Invaliden, is outstandingly successful, more than just precise, even if you feel that it is the VPO winds for Previn (Philips, 4/88—nla) who penetrate its sound-world with greater insight (thanks in part to their distinctive horns and oboes). Like Michael Collins and the London Winds, the Dutch group excels in the Sonatina No. 2, Frohlicher Werkstatt; its outer movements are comparatively relaxed in mood, with the Andantino and minuet unobtrusively nuanced.
As an added inducement, Philips have appended Heinz Holliger's 1970 recording of the Oboe Concerto to the complete music for winds. It is as expert as you might expect, though not exactly overflowing with charm. Try to forget the cover—Philips should offer a prize to anyone who can account for the presence of a trombone on it. The transfers are excellent and there are full notes. Warmly recommended at the price.'