The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra released its latest CD, Mozart: The Early Concerti yesterday. A collaboration with recognized pianist Adam Neiman, the two-disc set features Mozart’s three Salzburg concertos: numbers 6, 8 and 9 (K. 238, 246 and 271) as well as his Symphony No. 38 K. 504, the “Prague” Symphony. Unlike the orchestra’s earlier recordings, its third CD will be distributed internationally by VAI Audio and, even better, it looks like it should be distributed internationally. With a sexy album cover featuring a sultry grand piano and two slightly blurred male figures in the background (Neiman and WCO conductor Andrew Sewell), ties loosened and hands in pocket, this CD is eye-catching and nothing like the frumpy, pastel still life with peonies one might expect to find on the cover of a regional chamber orchestra’s record. Add a world-class soloist and an interesting, intellectual choice of compositions and you get a legitimate classical music recording.

The CD features 31 orchestra players and was recorded in Overture Hall’s Capitol Theater by Audio for the Arts. The stark acoustics of the theater are surprisingly recognizable and leave the orchestra sounding exposed and dwarfed and the piano sounding less like a nine-foot Steinway grand and more like a younger-brother version of the instrument. The strings often sound like a group of individuals: while they play very well in unison, it is almost possible to hear each one of the six first violins and three cellos. The oboes echo strangely, as if they are playing on the opposite side of the room from everyone else. The horns, on the other hand, sound like hunting calls, powerful and at the same time muted and far away.

While this aspect of the recording may seem like a symptom of a regional part-time orchestra, I would suggest that these peculiarities actually make the recording more interesting. Contrary to big-name symphony orchestras, with their large ensembles, acoustically lush recording halls and space-age mixing genius, this recording showcases a more intimate, personal, and yes, exposed version of Mozart’s early concerti. WCO’s primary distinction is that it is a chamber orchestra. Pared down and smaller by half than most symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras were the orchestral ensemble of the day in the Baroque and Classical periods. Indeed, all of Mozart’s orchestral compositions were written for chamber orchestra. The delicate sound of the small group, enhanced by the acoustics and engineering make it possible for Neiman’s technical wizardry and emotional intuition to sound immediate and live, as if you were listening to him perform a spontaneous recital for a small group of people.

On its own, in the Symphony No. 38, the orchestra truly comes together as one entity. Here there is a much richer orchestral sound, and the character and personality of this group of musicians is unmistakable. Sure, it’s on CD, but this is the same playing you can hear at any of their concerts. The recording is true to the ensemble’s sound. (For some reason this surprises me – maybe because I became an adult in the Age of Photoshop) There is a steady balance between winds and strings and a sharp, if occasionally timid, precision that connects the entire ensemble. With such a small orchestra, the interplay between instruments becomes very obvious. The ensemble excels, lightly tossing motifs back and forth like balloons.

Neiman and Sewell both approach Mozart in a uniquely nuanced fashion. Bypassing the orchestra-on-autopilot style of interpretation, they dig deeper for the jewels of musicality and humor for which Mozart is so famous. While this recording is not so juicy as those of, say, the London Symphony, and while some listeners may be turned off by musical idiosyncrasies, the truth is this album refutes the current suffocation of performance by modern recording techniques. Video killed the radio star, and over-produced, over-mixed recording killed the spontaneity and personality that makes musical performance such an exciting and passionate experience. This recording will not sound like any other Mozart recording you will ever buy. In fact, it doesn’t really sound like a recording at all. And that may be the best compliment.