Beck was a major composer. His Op. 3 symphonies, published in 1762, are substantial. They have four movements each and, while none of the works are long in total (15-17 minutes each), they contain a great deal of arresting musical invention. No. 3 is the most obviously affecting of the four, with its G minor tonality, and it’s also the biggest single piece. The performances here are all very well played, as we have come to expect from these forces, and Kevin Mallon paces each movement with unaffected naturalness. My only reservation, as so often in music of this period, concerns the harpsichord continuo, an unnecessary anachronism that is not only too loudly recorded but, especially in quick movements, too frequently employed. I find it very hard to believe that bass lines in rapidly repeated eighths had a harpsichordist flailing away on each note like a petulant child throwing a tantrum, but that’s how these things are done today. Still, for the otherwise fine performances and the far more numerous beauties that the music affords, I’m willing to put up with it, and others may not share my reservations in this respect. Recommended.
