Frans Bruggen and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century use period instruments, of course, but no one need think that these are performances to shirk the expressive issues that engage ‘modern’ conductors. Whether Mozart can ever have heard such performances may be in question but we are entitled to think he may have imagined them. The warmth and the lyricism of the slow movements I find specially appealing. That of No. 29 is taken at a nicely flowing andante but Bruggen seems to have plenty of time for shaping the detail and articulating the music distinctly while still keeping a view of the whole, and exactly the same may be said of the second movement of No. 33. In No. 29 both the lyrical and the fiery sides of the first movement’s music get good value, again at what is quite a lively tempo, and the minuet is very sprightly but with the trio warmly phrased and the accents purposefully placed. There is ample energy in the finale, done with a strong, resilient rhythm: Bruggen is again successful here in reconciling potential opposites, the vivacious and the serious – for this movement is no mere frolic for all that it has plenty of witty gestures. The finale of No. 33 is also done with particular care, with athleticism and a sense of fun in the scurrying triplets and some witty articulation for the wind’s little march theme in the coda material. You may note, too, an original and persuasive differentiation of appoggiatura lengths in the main secondary theme.
The performance of No. 31 dates back some years. I like the imposing, moderate tempo that Bruggen adopts for the opening movement, and the splendid full orchestral sound he draws from the band with his forward wind balance: you can see, or rather hear, why Mozart so relished the sound of the contemporary orchestra including clarinets. A rich and sensitive account of the slow movement (the familiar 6/8 one is used) and a brilliant finale, again very much alive to the changing moods of the music, complete what is one of the most enjoyable and satisfying Mozart discs I can remember hearing.'