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Excellent though these performances are, what makes this disc a must-have for Mozartians and fanciers of the horn alike are the fascinating addenda that musicologist John Humphries makes to the canon of Mozart's music for horn and orchestra. Working from manuscripts that have come to light as recently as 1989, Humphries has reconstructed fragments and edited other extant works so that whole new Mozart pages emerge. The first movement fragment (K. 370b) and rondeau (K. 371), projected as Mozart's uncompleted first concerto, have the polish and authenticity that good scholarship and talent can bring to works that always seemed, to me, shy of the Mozartian mark. And then there is Humphries' reconstruction of the last movement of Mozart's so-called Concerto No. 1, K. 412. Here, the orchestra is given more to do, and in a more playful and virtuosic manner, than in the traditional completion by Franz Xaver Sussmayr.

What about the playing? First, though Michael Thompson is not as aggresive as some hornists you will hear in this music, his tone is beautifully mellow, and he plays this tough music as if his ax were as easy to key as a clarinet. Runs tumble effortlessly from his instrument. His colorful, dramatic, yet burnished performance of the cadenzas is certainly something to hear. As conductor, he seems as much in his element as he is when soloing. In all, these pieces are beautifully characterized by Thompson and his fine little band of players. This is what paid reviewers call a self-recommending disc.