It is hard to begin a review of the Mozart flute concertos without remembering that he disliked the instrument, but one only has to listen to either of them to remember that he was incapable of composing badly even when, as he told his father in a letter, the commission to write them from the wealthy Dutch amateur De Jean was uncongenial. In fact, I'd go beyond that and say more positively that the writing is delightfully idiomatic in both concertos, and, for that matter in the Concerto for Flute and Harp, and that the nature and capacities of the pre-Boehm instrument (Boehm's keywork dates from 1832) are shown off to advantage. All three works, incidentally, date from the same first few months of 1778; the solo concertos being written in Mannheim for De Jean and the double concerto in Paris for the Duc de Guines and his harpist daughter. I'm inclined to think that by the time of the latter work Mozart had warmed to the instrument, and he knew at least one first-class player in Johann Baptist Wendling of the Mannheim Court Orchestra. Nevertheless, we know that no less a virtuoso than Boehm himself remarked that the flute ''left much to be desired'', which is why he improved it; and of course in recordings with a modern instrument we no longer hear the sound and intonation that made Mozart uncomfortable.
The new CBS disc with Rampal, Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic was made in the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv, and the digital recording is full and detailed, though the flute is rather close. But I have been disappointed by it. The soloist's playing has plenty of character, but there is to my mind a slight breathlessness (metaphorical only) in his approach so that the music lacks poise. The first movement of the G major Concerto is a case in point, and its cadenza by the soloist no less, and even in the Adagio non troppo I would like more spaciousness and calm. It is largely a matter of tone and delivery, and some admirers of this fine artist may feel differently, but I prefer a more effortless style. It so happens that Rampal's timings for all three movements of both the G major and D major Concertos are faster than in his 1966 performance on Erato, with about 45 seconds difference in the case of both slow movements. Although nominally the soloist dictates tempo and style I begin therefore to wonder whether I should be directing my criticism partly at Zubin Mehta, whose handling of the music strikes me as somewhat impatient—listen to the orchestral start to the Andante ma non troppo of the D major Concerto to see what I mean—and on top of that, the orchestra sounds too large and heavy. Whatever the case, altogether I have found these performances (including the C major Andante and D major Rondo) uncomfortable to listen to.
The EMI issue with, as the sleeve styles him, the ''outstanding conductor and flute virtuoso... one of the foremost musical artists of his generation'' Ransom Wilson (who hails from America), and Raymond Leppard conducting the LSO, has the same programme as the CBS disc, and a smiling picture of the soloist in light blue and silver period costume on the cover. Here is yet another kind of flute tone (it does make one wonder what Mozart heard when Wendel played), and one that is brightly virile, so that it's a surprise to read that Wilson is a Rampal pupil. It's another interpretation too, and while the tone may be thought to suit the quicker music fairly well, there is something excessively athletic and metronomic about the approach which suggests a cheerful and skilful workout with the music rather than its discovery and revelation. Even if we accept this approach, some of the soloist's articulation of semiquaver passagework is oddly clipped. The first movement of the G major Concerto is 33 seconds shorter than Rampal's CBS performance, while the Adagio non troppo is just not very interesting and the minuet-finale merely chirpy. The D major is neither better nor worse; competently fluent though it is, the lack of tonal and rhythmic subtlety is a weakness in the Andante ma non troppo. The same applies to the Andante in C major which follows: Raymond Leppard does what he can with the orchestra, and the recording is satisfactory, but this is not an issue to which I would often choose to return.
Given its recording date of 1966, the Erato CD with Rampal has come up well as regards sound, and has almost no background hiss. Rampal's playing is direct, deft, and yet sensitive, and the playing of the Viennese musicians under Guschlbauer is nicely shaped too. Yet ultimately, there is a certain sameness, and a more modern recording would give wider dynamics and better orchestral perspective. This is the sort of CD one could gladly recommend at bargain price, but at full price one can do better in today's market. Talking of which, the Chandos and DG comparative issues are both well recorded and a collector should not be disappointed by either. Susan Milan (Chandos) is a fine player and her sound is attractive and well varied, while Leppard and the ECO are on good form too in all four works. However, the performance of the G major Concerto by Susan Palma and the Orpheus CO on DG pleases me even more, for its radiant tone and subtle shaping, while her cadenzas are especially well imagined and orchestral detail is clear.'