Indeed, "mature" (in the sense of confident and wise) is the word that best characterizes these performances. Harnoncourt makes no effort to emulate the "hack and slash" period-instrument massacres popular among some of the more left-wing ensembles current today, deliberately cultivating ugly sounds and overpowering the music with frantic, exaggerated gestures. While preserving the penetrating sound of the oboes and horns that so often characterizes his work, Harnoncourt has his strings playing with an unusual degree of warmth and gracefulness. After all, this is mostly gentle music, witty and rhythmically robust (especially in the finales), but hardly the expressionist nightmare that others (most famously the Freiburg Barockorchester) have tried to make of it.

The absence of continuo and the warm sonics add to the impression of civilized conversation, and it's good to see a spotlight thrown on music otherwise usually tossed into complete sets, where it can't help but pale in comparison to the later masterpieces. Although recorded way back in 1999/2000 (prior to the current contract with BMG), the performances are all of a piece, shapely and loving. With a playing time of two hours and 20 minutes, this set gives you plenty of music to enjoy, and all of the early Mozart that many listeners will ever need.