More of the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Hot Stamper Classical and Orchestral Imports on Decca & London
- Stunning sound throughout this vintage London pressing, with both sides earning Nearly Triple Plus (A++ to A+++) grades – just shy of our Shootout Winner
- This copy has the clarity, space and transparency that recreates the live event and really lets you hear into the music
- Karl Munchinger is of course an expert on Mozart and here he does not disappoint – it’s a top performance with sound to match
- You will have a very hard time finding a better Eine Kleine Nachtmusik on record, sonically or musically
- Need we even bother saying it’s guaranteed to beat the pants off of the Speakers Corner pressing of the Decca of the same performance from 1994? No? Okay, we won’t
- If you’re a Mozart fan — and what audiophile wouldn’t be? — this London from 1961 is surely a Must Own
What to Listen For
On most copies the strings are slightly drier and more steely than one would want, occasionally turning strident in the louder passages. As always, proper VTA adjustment — by ear — is critical to getting the strings to sound their best.
An extended top end helps the harmonics of the stringed instruments immensely.
The more resolving copies will show you more of the hall which adds to the sense that you are listening to live music, not a record.
Is It Live?
It sounds very much like live music, or at least what you imagine this music would sound like live. Of course, live classical music is shocking in its clarity and freedom from artificiality, and no recording I have ever heard duplicates that sound with perfect fidelity.
But when the pressing is as clear and transparent and natural as this one, your ability to suspend disbelief seems to require no effort at all. Close your eyes. Your brain, search as it will, can find nothing in the recording to interfere with the appreciation of even the most subtle nuances of the score. This is the mark of a very fine record indeed.
This is precisely what careful shootouts and critical listening are all about. If you like Heavy Vinyl, what exactly is your frame of reference? How many good early pressings could you possibly own, and how were they cleaned?
Without the best pressings around to compare, Heavy Vinyl can sound fine. It’s only when you have something better that its many faults come into focus.
We, of course, have something much, much better, and we like to call them Hot Stampers.