Munchinger: Mozart Divertimento K. 251 + Le petits riens ballet music, etc. - Decca 6.41834 AF

Jacket NM / LP NM / German pressing

This lovely LP – a superb collector’s copy – from Decca (6.41834, German Teldec · Telefunken-Decca pressing pressing, blue label, stereo) features conductor Karl Münchinger and his splendid Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra in an engaging album pairing works of Mozart and Schubert, recorded in the warm acoustics of Victoria Hall, Geneva, in October 1955 and October 1956* (producer: James Walker / engineer: Roy Wallace).

Included are the following works:

Mozart: Divertimento No. 11 in D Major K. 251

Mozart: Les petits riens K. 299 (Anh10)*

Schubert: 5 Minuets and 6 Trios D. 89

Schubert: 5 German Dances D. 90

Wrote the critic D.S. in his review for the March 1959 issue of The Gramophone: “Les Petits Riens dates from Mozart's visit to Paris in 1778, when Noverre, the great ballet-master and would-be impresario, asked Mozart to write an opera. Nothing came of it, but the ballet was written as a friendly gesture to Noverlre (who promptly put his own name to it) and was extended by half-a-dozen arrangements of old French dances made by contemporary Parisian hacks. Mozart was not too pleased with this state of affairs, though hardly in a position to object, and in any case he was far too much taken up with other events. As Donald Mitchell remarks in his excellent sleeve-note, Mozart never liked the French, yet he was not above penning a pastiche which was in fact better than the original. His Overture and twelve contredanses make a charming and light-hearted suite of pieces, even though the keysequence is marred somewhat by the absence of the interpolated numbers. Miinchinger's interpretation is stylish and attractive, and his orchestra plays accurately if somewhat frostily, making the most of deft rhythms and rococo tunefulness. The body of strings is small enough to allow the flutes to come through clearly and beautifully. On the cover of the record is a rare portrait of Mozart as a child, taken from the collection of Sir Victor Schuster, Bart.”

CONDITION:

The gradations of condition I use are as follows: MINT, Near-Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.

The condition of the jacket is near-MINT. Really, the flaws are quite minimal. There is minor bumping/wear at corners, but that is all. Otherwise, the album appears virtually as new – overall, this rates as a superlative collector’s copy.

The condition of the LP itself is near-MINT and the playback is outstanding – overall, a truly fine collector's copy.