All the selections on this disc are undoubtedly familiar to Willem Mengelberg collectors. The main question, of course, is how Mark Obert-Thorn’s new transfers compare to other CD editions–indeed, to Obert-Thorn’s earlier transfers for Pearl and Biddulph. The Berlioz Roman Carnival Overture and three Damnation of Faust excerpts have less shellac noise and more judicious equalization this time, with the strident string overtones noticeably tamed (the basic sound is amazingly vivid for 1942). Liszt’s Les Preludes perfectly suits the conductor’s flamboyant style and punchy Concertgebouw sonority, and more of this impassioned performance emerges in Obert-Thorn’s quieter new transfer.
By contrast, instrumental timbres appear more softly focused in Obert-Thorn’s Oberon Overture remastering. I prefer the noisier Pearl transfer, where the introduction’s scurrying flutes and forwardly balanced brass boast greater bite and definition. On Naxos, however, Euryanthe and Der Freischütz gain in overall clarity, thanks in part to the bass equalized within a more realistic perspective. Improved sound for Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream Scherzo simply reinforces the performance’s lack of delicacy, inappropriate hard-hitting sonority (the steel-coated strings, for instance), and superfluous cuts. I also should note that the transfers of Les Preludes and the Hungarian March in Andante’s relatively expensive Mengelberg anthology are more vivid, dynamic, and detailed than any others I’ve heard. Life is too short, however, to spend time and money chasing down and comparing every Mengelberg transfer under the sun. So stick with Naxos.
