These 1960 performances are classics among the classics, and there is little need to emphasize their qualities. Otto Klemperer conducts the incidental music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream with an audible keenness for this magic music. If the tempos are not the liveliest on disc, the Maestro’s natural aptitude for orchestral balance certainly allows the listener to taste every bit of Mendelssohn’s fairy orchestration, as in the vivid Scherzo or the delicate anxiety of the Intermezzo. Heather Harper and Janet Baker are irresistible in the sung episodes, and so is the Philharmonia Chorus. Recorded at the same time, the “Italian” Symphony shines like it has rarely done before or since, with not a single hint of heaviness. The Philharmonia Orchestra provides perfect ensemble playing, unforgettable velvet tone in the noble Andante con moto, and explosive energy in the final Saltarello. Thanks to a careful remastering, these eternal recordings are given a new life. A CD to treasure. [12/9/1999]
