This is one beautiful lp record. Seeing the name Woldike, I grabbed it without looking closely and when I arrived home, I was stunned to find a near mint record inside the slipcase. And, one of the stranger lps that I've seen since both sides have different color labels! I have a number of these Haydn Society isues on hand but I've never seen one like this.
This record features Mogens Woldike leading the Chamber Orchestra of the Danish State Radio in Haydn's Symphony No. 61 and Mozart's Clarinet Concerto. I'll come back to the Haydn in a minute; I want to tell you all that this version of the Mozart is quite possibly the finest performance of the piece that I've ever laid my ears to...and I have heard it played by Wright, Brymer, Marcellus, Stolzman, Meyer, and Goodman. The soloist on this recording is esteemed French clarinetist Louis Cahuzac. Of Cahuzac - he was one of the great reed players of the first half of the twentieth century, in short a pathbreaker in modern orchestral clarinet performance. When he recorded this disc with Woldike, Cahuzac was over 70 years old and believe me, his technique is simply flawless. Combine that with mature insight and musical wisdom and you have a performance that balances the subtleties of the piece with the brilliance of the writing. This is a benchmark reading folks and Woldike provides the absolutely best brand of accompaniment possible.
Maestro Woldike turns in a splendid Symphony No 61. If you have heard his Haydn series from Vienna, you know what to expect here. This is insightful interpretation by a conductor who really knew how to scratch the surface and get inside these Haydn symphonies. I maintain that Haydn's Symphony No. 102 has never, and will never, get a better recorded presentation then Woldike's VSOO lp on Vanguard. Just great Haydn hereon this Haydn Society lp: elegance where appropriate and rustic, hearty playing when required, all spendidly delivered by these fine Danish musicians.
This recording was released in 1952. You are in for a real treat here. Enjoy!
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