Conductor
Tarmo Peltokoski
, signed to the
Deutsche Grammophon
label at age 23 and promised to be the next phenomenon from Finland, impresses with his debut album offering fresh performances of three familiar
Mozart
symphonies. Some young conductors burn out, but one may hope it doesn't happen to
Peltokoski
, who shows impressive control over the
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
in these recordings. The sheer intensity of these readings also may bring the notion of burnout to mind. Other conductors have taken
symphonies at a quick clip, but
is close to the fast end of the spectrum, and he takes care to shape intermediate phrases to push the motion forward. The standout here is the
Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 ("Haffner")
, where
really brings out the importance of the still relatively new timpani in the structure. The first movement receives an exciting reading, really edge-of-the-seat.
's slow movements are moments of repose rather than examples of Mozartian grace, but it is easy to hear why audiences have been responding to this conductor, who brings the tension that got many of them excited about classical music in the first place. Online versions of this album feature yet another daring set of items from
, improvisations on the piano based on the symphonies involved, that may take listeners back to the era of ragging or jazzing the classics. Whatever one may think of this practice in general, it works here; the symphonies themselves are such a heated rush (to borrow a phrase from
Anita Pointer
) that the improvisations offer a welcome drop in the temperature. The future may be a bit unclear, but
's goal of calling attention to its potentialities has undeniably been achieved. ~ James Manheim