You would have far to go today or any day to hear Mozart's baritone arias better sung than they are here by Thomas Allen, whose easy command of Mozartian style allied to his firm mellow tone and precise Italian and German enunciation are as welcome on record as they are in the theatre. In Le nozze di Figaro he has sung both Figaro and the Count; here he proves that he has both roles under control, but I find it odd that HMV have placed ''Non piu andrai'' before ''Se vuol ballare'', thus reversing their order in the opera.
Allen's Papageno has delighted audiences in several houses for its unaffected un-coy humour, and his natural approach is carried over into his performances here. Of course, we already have his Don Giovanni on the Haitink/Glyndebourne set (HMV SLS143665-3, 7/84), but it is good to have Giovanni's three arias here. Although I find them just that bit less convincing than in the context of the Glyndebourne recording, the Serenade is suave enough at an almost langorous tempo, and the so-called Champagne aria suitably volatile, but too fast: it is taken more temperately with Haitink. Indeed, Richard Armstrong seems to favour quick Mozart, not always to the music's advantage. The extra items are welcome, all presented with the same vigour and confidence.
The orchestral playing is excellent and the recording well balanced, except that I found the positioning of the glockenspiel in ''Ein Madchen oder Weibschen'' a bit odd; it seems entirely divorced from Allen's person. On the whole, however, a delight.'