Title: Wimpy Mozart Will Never Do
Product review: Given the cast of characters, this should be much, much better than it is. But Abbado seems intent on keeping everything buttoned down lest anything exciting happen in this traversal of Mozart's valedictory work. It all sounds anemic; chorally,orchestrally, and interpretively. You would have no idea the work is about death and it's associated dramatics from listening to this cluelessly uneventful read-through. I feel bad for Terfel who seems to be the one participant who knows a turkey is being hatched and does his best to stop it. Alas, even his best efforts aren't enough. (He royally mixes up his words at one point in the "Recordare", though by then it's too late to care.) With Barenboim's first account for EMI (Armstrong, Baker, Gedda,Fischer-Dieskau), Colin Davis on Philips Duo, and Marriner's second recording of the work (also on Philips) all still available, this is utterly superfluous and easily avoided.
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