It is good to be reminded of the early mastery of the Amadeus players, even before they won the accolade of a long-term contract with DG. It is good timing that the reissue of this EMI version of the Mozart Sinfonia concertante, recorded at Abbey Road in 1953, should come almost simultaneously with the issue on the BBC Legends label of the performance conducted by Benjamin Britten in 1967 (to be reviewed next month), also with Brainin and Schidlof as soloists. If Harry Blech’s accompaniments have less charm than those of Britten, with phrasing less affectionately moulded, this studio version is just as strong and purposeful, with none of the imprecisions inevitable in a live performance. The studio recording, cleanly transferred, also brings the advantage of focusing the soloists more sharply, giving warmth and body to the tone, exceptionally rich from Peter Schidlof on the viola. In the radio recording of the Britten version one hardly registers the precise arrival of the soloists after the tutti, thanks to more distant balance. If the slow movement is a degree broader and heavier with Blech than with Britten, the finale is jollier, at a marginally more relaxed tempo, though the extra lightness of the Britten version is a delight.
In the Schubert the comparison is with other studio recordings, and that tends to confirm the impression of warmer, fuller-bodied string tone as recorded by EMI rather than by DG, though just how far that is due to the playing rather than recording-quality is hard to say. If the first movement is a degree warmer and more purposeful than in the later versions, the slow movement, at a more flowing speed, lacks the inner intensity of the later recordings – partly a question of pianissimos not being registered so gently. Also the finale, at a marginally broader speed, lacks the exuberance of later versions, but these are marginal differences, and the youthful freshness and strength of the whole performance are most winning, helped by an excellent transfer.'