Mozart - Symphony 40 [Menuhin-Sinfonia Varsovia] Mozart's last two Symphonies always seem to be paired on disc together, at the end of last month i played Mozart's Symphony 41 [2nd June 2011], and though this Symphony isn't quite its equal, it's pretty close.
Yehudi Menuhin is American, with a complex ancestry, he was born in 1916, and died in 1999, a boy prodigy, he hit his peak soon, and in his later years he was certainly on a long decline, so he turned his hand to being more of a Conductor, this recording was made in 1989, the cover image [by Richard Glover], shows what looks like a drain cover, i haven't a clue what it's got to do with the music, but i like this symmetrical shape / shot.
The recording isn't ideal, quite fierce in the treble, it needs more bass and bloom, and it can be quite shrill at times, but Menuhin paces things quite fast and exciting in the opening first movement, which i found to be the best, full of great tunes, and a tremendous onward flow and rush of ideas, really thrilling, and yet there's something quite simple and innocent about it too, but i feel there's just something missing in Menuhin's interpretation, it's not quite involved enough, maybe it's the recording, but Mozart's power of invention and genius shines through.
Here's Karl Bohm conducting the first movement on YouTube.
