The overtures, Haydn Variations, Alto Rhapsody, and Second Piano Concerto derive from 1955/7 studio recordings released by Decca. In all likelihood, Melodram’s transfers stem from excellent LP or home reel-to-reel sources. Until Decca remasters these from original sources, the present set is a viable stopgap. The concerto finds Clifford Curzon and his conductor in inspired, energetic form, and the Haydn Variations shine with crisp articulation and clear textures that make a good case for Knappertsbusch’s slow tempos. The male choir and orchestra are beautifully balanced in the Alto Rhapsody, providing an ideal framework for Lucretia West’s dark, haunting alto. Symphonies Two through Four and the Double Concerto are variable in sound and performance. Both the Third Symphony and Double Concerto suffer from muffled, constricted sound, and Melodram provides no information on the soloists for the latter. The Fourth gets an improvisatory, leisurely, and at times sloppy reading. None of these hold a candle to the spacious, beautifully phrased Second, with Knappertsbusch’s own Munich forces playing their hearts out. The sonics are quite good for a mono, archival recording, and convey how Kna could conjure up tremendous sonorities in a real concert hall.
