I took my leave of the Divertimento with another audition of the Camerata Bern/Zehetmair version. The smaller ensemble (slightly over 20 strings; similar in size to Sacher's orchestra at the premiere) and the typically airy ECM recording make for a transparent, pulsating reading which brings the concerto grosso-character of the work nicely into relief. Zehetmair's is also a very romantic reading that underscores the contrast between the lively outer movements and the somber Molto adagio. The ensemble plays with great precision and verve.
Dorati's recording with the BBC Symphony Orchestra is also very compelling. A bigger ensemble, it seems, that produces a rather compact and weighty sound. But that accords well with a rugged vision which is projected on a more epic scale than in the ECM version. The recording incidentally is also very good: originally released on the Mercury Living Presence label it features the depth and liveliness customary for this source. I have the CD on loan from HVC and comparison between vinyl and CD shows them very close. Not surprising, maybe, given that Wilma Cozart Fine, who produced the original recordings, was also responsible for the transfer to the new medium.
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