Two of these three sets—the Entfuhrung and Zauberflote—appear as recommendations in The Good CD Guide: at mid-price they become even more desirable acquisitions. Even if the recent Hogwood Entfuhrung (L'Oiseau-Lyre, 11/91) and Norrington Zauberflote (EMI, 11/91), may be more to the liking of period-instrument aficionados, the easy authority and loving warmth of Davis's interpretations have stood a reasonable test of time. The Zauberflote is already something of a classic. Listening to it again, I thought only the recent Solti (Decca) among rival versions offers as excellent and authoritative a cast. From Moll's epitome of age-old wisdom as Sarastro to Serra's glinting Queen of Night, every part seems cast to near-perfection with Price's stylishly correct, perfectly articulated yet emotionally concerned Pamina, Schreier's nonpareil of a Tamino, Melbye's appealing yet never too arch Papageno, an excellent trio of Ladies, Adam's authoritative Speaker and Tear's nasty Monostatos. Then there is the glorious playing of the Dresden orchestra and the well-balanced recording.
The only drawback, and here the Solti scores, is in having the dialogue, Melbye apart, spoken by actors (even if they are better matched than in the earlier Entfuhrung, where the change from singing to speaking voice is less happily accomplished). Yet this is also an attractive, naturally paced reading well, though not outstandingly, cast. Burrowes and Burrows are both undoubted assets, she lively but not too pert as Blonde, he agile and mellifluous as Belmonte. Lloyd is an alert, resourceful Osmin, badly matched by his speaking counterpart, and not quite as rotund as Moll for Bohm, and Tear as a somewhat strenuous Pedrillo. Eda-Pierre's Konstanze is pleasing in voice when not overstretched, and sympathetic in character. Davis persuades the best from the Academy of St Martin's. My personal preference among 'conventional' sets is for Bohm's slightly tauter conducted version (DG). Gardiner is to come shortly.
While this early work has never had a wholly satisfying version, the late Clemenza has had nothing but excellent ones. This one derives from the first performances of the production at Covent Garden in the mid-1970s, one of the adornments of Davis's period as Music Director, with the three main principals as here (to which are added Popp and Von Stade, both in their absolute prime, as Servilia and Annio) and the Royal Opera House Orchestra. Burrows makes Tito's clemency credible and the distinction of his Mozart singing ranks with that of Rolfe Johnson on the recent Gardiner set (Archiv). Baker is a splendidly vicious, calculating, and alluring Vitellia, although the high tessitura worries her at times and her tone loses colour. She is strongly rivalled by Varady, on either the Bohm or Gardiner versions, and by the Italianate warmth of Casula (Decca/Kertesz). Minton need fear no comparison anywhere, although the competition (Berganza—twice—and von Otter) is very strong. Here is a handsome, authoritative performance, creamy and firm in tone, secure in character. So, of modern-instrument performances, this one stands alongside the Decca and DG. With all three at mid-price preference among the respective casts may decide you one way or the other. Davis's love of the score, evinced again at Salzburg last summer, might tilt me towards him. But then there is Gardiner, something quite other—tauter, catching the emotions nearer the knuckle, more immediate because of its live-performance orientation.
All said these three sets attest to Davis's appreciable and appreciated contribution to the Mozart discography in the opera department and worthily represent these particular works in the Mozart Edition. All show Philips's consistency in the matter of sound quality.'