Catalogue | Orchestra

Ferenc Fricsay was seen as an exponent of modern, detailed and precise music-making, and as a leading Mozart conductor alongside Bruno Walter and Karl Böhm. Two live recordings and one studio production from the early Fifties document the collaboration between Fricsay and “his” RIAS Symphony Orchestra which, after becoming its chief conductor in 1948, he had made into an elite ensemble. These recordings also document his esteem for Mozart’s music which was characterised by a deep seriousness. Fricsay’s devotion to sculpting the melodic line finds a precise and supple medium in the meticulous and stylish RIAS Symphony Orchestra who display an astonishing quality, particularly in the live recordings.

There is a “Producer’s Comment” from producer Ludger Böckenhoff about this production available.

The production is part of our series „Legendary Recordings“ and bears the quality feature „1st Master Release“. This term stands for the excellent quality of archival productions at audite. For all historical publications at audite are based, without exception, on the original tapes from broadcasting archives. In general these are the original analogue tapes, which attain an astonishingly high quality, even measured by today‘s standards, with their tape speed of up to 76 cm/sec. The remastering – professionally competent and sensitively applied – also uncovers previously hidden details of the interpretations. Thus, a sound of superior quality results. CD publications based on private recordings from broadcasts cannot be compared with these.

• American Record Guide | January 7, 2009

  Mozart: Symphonies 29, 39, 40
  This Hungarian conductor died young, in 1963 at less than 50. He had studied with Bartok and Kodaly but was also known as a Mozart specialist and...

• Audiophile Audition | Gary Lemco | December 4, 2009

  Live and studio recordings from the RIAS archives featuring Ferenc Fricsay (1914-1963) in his beloved Mozart, 1950-1952, in excellent sound. A fervent...

• Diapason | Rémy Louis | January 5, 2010

  Un Hongrois à Vienne
  La discographie officielle de Ferenc Fricsay pour Deutsche Grammophon est vaste et bien connue. Et pourtant, Audite nous comble en révélant ces...

• Fanfare | Mortimer H. Frank | January 7, 2009

  Many musicians, whether conductors, soloists, or chamber groups, often feel more comfortable—and do their best work—in front of an audience rather...

• Gramophone | Lindsay Kemp | January 6, 2009

  Elegant Mozart combines fine interpretations with slick playing technical untidinesses liable to occur in any live situation, but more important than...

• Journal de la Confédération musicale de France | January 12, 2008

  Les symphonies de Mozart par Fricsay sont de la même classe, un peu sages cependant comparativement à celles de Beethoven. Fricsay y excelle dans...

• Pizzicato | Alain Steffen | January 1, 2009

  Abenteuer Musik
  Wenn es derzeit einen Preis für die interessantesten Booklets geben würde, so wäre meine Wahl schnell gefallen. Anstatt die immergleichen...

• Saarländischer Rundfunk | Friedrich Spangemacher | December 13, 2008

  Unsere erste Station führt uns ca. 50 Jahre zurück, zu Ferenc Fricsays Mozart-Einspielungen der 50er Jahre mit dem RIAS-Symphonie Orchester –...

• Scherzo | Enrique Pérez Adrián | January 5, 2009

  Fricsay,Karajan
  Sigue la extraordinaria Edición Frícsay en el sello alemán Audite (distribuidor: Diverdí) con grabaciones radiofónicas de los cincuenta con muy...

• www.classicstodayfrance.com | Christophe Huss | October 1, 2009

  L'interprétation mozartienne a évolué plus que d'autres, mais les enregistrements de Fricsay, comme ceux de Rudolf Kempe, sont intemporels. On ne...