Customer Reviews

Mozart: Complete Piano Concertos

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The performances on this 12 disc set have been praised since they were orginally issued in the late 1970s and through the 1980s. I have other complete sets and individual discs of these works, and I find myself returning to Perahia as my favorites. He has astounding tone and sense of rhythm, and the English Chamber Orchestra is in lock step with him throughout I am sure in part due to the fact that Perahia conducted them from the keyboard.

What makes this 2006 reissue even more special? First, Sony remastered all of the recordings using their Direct Stream Digital process and SBM direct. What this means is that the sound sparkles with a realism that was lacking before. In addition, the set is packaged in sturdy envelopes and a cardboard case that takes a little over an inch of shelf space. It saves you money, and takes up much less space that traditional jewel case require.

A legendary set, with recent technical improvements, at a great price.

Highest of recommendations!

I have owned Murray Perahia's Mozart: The Complete Piano Concertos in all of its incarnations: audio cassette, lps, individual cds ,1991 box set and now this, the definitive release of these legendary performances-the 2006 DSD(Direct Stream Digital) remastered collection. The reputation of Perahia and the ECO in the Mozart piano concertos is almost without peer. Indeed, there are many fine sets available that come close, including Uchida, Anda, Barenboim, Bilson, etc. (many of which I've heard and/or owned,) but the Perahia 2006 set is truly the finest. The sound is brilliantly new & clear on this remastered set, now available at half what the 1991 set cost when it was first released. Perahia has a special bond with these works, very much like Artur Rubinstein has with the music of Chopin, Zoltan Kocsis has with the music of Bartok & Debussy and Georges Cziffra has with the music of Franz Liszt. It is quite apparent that the Mozart piano concertos touch Murray Perahia to the depths of his artistic soul, stunningly shown here on this latest complete box set.
My wife recently asked me if I could keep only one release from my extensive classical cd collection ( numbering in the neighborhood of 2000 discs to date,)what would it be. There is no doubt-this Mozart set from Perahia is the one! It would be among the absolute crown jewels of any good music collection.

I've listened to Mozart's piano concertos in one form or another for several years and I've never heard them played as magnificently as Perahia does here. The English Chamber Orchestra sounds lush and full, but it's Perahia's lucid, mellifluous tone that will make you happy you shelled out the money for this set. And by the way, the early and middle Concertos are wonderful and have many many moments of pure vintage Mozart beauty; don't get stuck only listening to the well known ones (21, 23, 25 etc...)
In addition to the joy you'll get in listening to these concertos (surely some of Mozart's finest creations), these also function as a fine introduction to the style and sound of Mozart's greatest music: his operas. In many of these concertos, Mozart uses the interplay between the piano and the orchestra in similar fashion to how he would later use voice and orchestra in his operas. Before listening to these concertos I had very little interest in opera. I've since become quite fan and I love Mozart's three Da Ponte operas (Le Nozze Di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi Fan Tutte) as well as Die Zauberflote.

I don't usually post reviews here on amazon but this set deserves an exception. I shopped very carefully to find the "best" of the complete sets (shelling out $80 requires some attention to detail). After reading various reviews and sampling every recording I could find, I purchased this set.

Before I begin, I should say I don't believe that any performance of classical music is "definitive." There are good recordings and bad recordings, yes, but among the good ones, it is often difficult to decide which is the "best." I usually aim for an excellent sound coupled with a solid and moving interpretation of the work. For Mozart's piano concertos, there are several sets which contain both, with the individual recordings varying in the finer things.

For this particular performance, Perahia is all about tone, and keeping it perfect. Some may criticize this set for sounding "all the same" or lacking in variation, but this does not bore me or present much of a problem. When its played as beautifully as this one can never have too much. Still, if you are looking for a little more interpretation to "jazz up" the recordings, Brendel's set may be for you. I prefer this less romantic venture which focuses solely on the music. When I listen to one of these concertos I don't feel that I hear Murray Perahia playing, because he doesn't embellish or add anything. He just makes the music sing beautifully, and though I never like seeing the words "this is how the composer would have played it" (especially on Chopin reviews) I often feel that I'm hearing Mozart himself joyously run along the keys while conducting the instrumentalists.

The English Chamber Orchestra, which has performed this work with several other prominent pianists, sounds flawless and dances beautifully alongside Perahia's sweeping fingers. I cannot stress enough how clear this sound quality is: I've grown accustomed to muffled or muted piano sounds from various other cds and so was very pleased to hear this recording sound as great as it does. The playing is lighthearted and quick: some have expressed that it is a little boring but as I said above: lack of variation does not mean lack of excitement or interest.

A word for those who may be considering purchasing a much cheaper 2-disc set containing only the "major" concertos: the lesser known ones are just as good as the later ones! I found the first four concertos to be so melodic I spent a week listening to only them! There is certainly something to be said when listening to a piece of music for the first time, and this set gives you the opportunity to do just that and go far beyond the 6 or 7 that are heard everyday.

All in all, a purchase I am very glad I made, and one that continues to be listened to. A worthy purchase for anyone looking for a clear recording of Mozart's concertos performed in a very solid and classical way.

I will just repeat all the praise from the other reviewers, it's a great, great set. HOWEVER, it doesn't have ALL Mozart's piano concertos---almost no sets do. Mozart "wrote" 3 concertos for harpsichord, collectively known as K. 107, which are actually arrangements of other composers' music. Perahia recorded these with piano and English Chamber Orchestra on CBS (probably Sony now) MK 39222. Also, Mozart's Piano Concerto #7 for 3 pianos K. 242, and Piano Concerto #10 for 2 pianos K. 365 are not included, but you can get Perahia playing them with Radu Lupu and the English Chamber Orchestra on Sony SK 44915. [They play the 3 piano concerto in Mozart's own arrangement for 2 pianos.] So any Mozart completist who wants the remaining concertos performed by these same forces will have to supplement with these two extra discs.

But back to the set in question: No doubt about it, I like Perahia the best. Brendel is a little finicky and Marriner who accompanies him is a little too business like for me. Ashkenazy is beautiful, sensitive, and has a wonderful orchestra, but I sometimes question his cadenzas. I don't like Uchida, too Dresden china sounding, and don't like any versions played with fortepianos and original instruments.

Speaking of cadenzas, Perahia plays Mozart's, except as follows: He plays his own cadenzas in Concertos 1, 2, 4, 5, 20 (third movement), 21 (first movement), 24, 25, 26, and Rondos K. 382 and K. 386. He plays Beethoven's cadenza in 20 (first movement). He plays Artur Balsam's cadenza in 6. He plays Rudolf Serkin's cadenza in 21 (third movement). He plays Hummel's cadenzas in 22. Mozart did not write down cadenzas for all his piano concertos, so in some cases they have to be supplied by the pianist.

Listen to these mozart piano concertos. They will move you and pull on your heart like no other version of mozart's piano concertos. listen for example to the adagio in mozart concerto no. 7 (lodron). before this, i was someone who only listened to mozart's 'great piano concertos'...after having listened to all of them now, i know what i was missing! they are soooo beautiful. i feel blessed to have discovered these. i am writing this review so that others can also experience this joy.

My 3 favorite interpreters of Mozart on the piano are Perahia, Curzon, and Brendel, and Perahia, maybe a bit more than the others. This set is simply wonderful. These remastered concertos really bring out the crispness, and clarity of Perahia's style, which I think overall, is a nice blend of technique and emotional depth. In this compilation, the interplay of the piano with the English Chamber Orchestra is beautifully realized.

Beside the operas, if anything destroys the impression of Mozart's music being light and lovely, but shallow, it's his piano concertos, beginning with the marvelous K.271, and ending with K.595 written in the last year of his life (1791). A greater representation of thematic originality, formal beauty, and depth of feeling, can't be found. Mozart perfected the classical form to the point where Beethoven, realizing that he couldn't surpass him, had to break new ground to make his mark. My favorites are K.271, K.453, K.466, K.482, and K.491, respectively numbers 9, 17, 20, 22, and 24. For Mozart lovers in general, the list of favorites will vary, since we are dealing with at minimum, a dozen genuine masterpieces.

Only one other reviewer on this page seems unhappy with the remastering of these wonderful performances, but I do think he has a point. There is a lot of mid-to-low range boost on some tracks, which can be startling when the orchestra bursts in. Other reviewers are also correct to say that the sound in general is lively and sparkling, giving the orchestra great presence.

The first movement of the great 9th is a case in point. Throughout, the orchestra is very symphonic. During the opening bars, if I turn the volume up enough for the piano to sound realistic, those E flat chords make me jump; if I turn it down, the piano becomes a tinkle. Later in the movement, the balance is much better and everything works beautifully.

I think part of the issue is that Perahia is a particularly fluid, sensitive, mellifluous performer whose playing is modulated in a way few other pianists can achieve; by contrast, the orchestra can seem more exuberant than necessary. Another part of the issue is that the modern sound engineers have had to work with the inherent limitations of 1970's recording technology.

The levels of boost should not be ignored. If you are going to play these concertos at low volume, you might not find a single obtrusive note in any of them. If you turn up the juice, there will be times when you will find yourself wincing.

Playing with the equalizer settings will certainly help.

I would be tempted to take off a star for those moments when the orchestra bites your ear off -- but Murray Perahia is such a wonderful pianist, and the orchestra so perfect, that I recommend these recordings to anyone. You could see it as having a not-very-good seat in an old-fashioned symphony hall, say, next to a pillar, where the acoustics are sometimes a little odd; but it is unquestionably better to be in the hall than not to attend.

There are many excellent collections of these concertos, but, in my opinion, Perahia stands out as the pianist who can convey the passion, the drama, the joy, the sadness and the sheer playfulness of these masterpieces of the repertoire most effectively. I would certainly recommend this remastered edition with absolutely no reservations whatsoever.

After trying various sets and individual concertos by Barenboim (II), Ashkenzay, Curzon, Anda and Uchida, this is my keeper. Perahia plays wonderfully (sample the slow movement of no. 15 K 450), the ECO always seem to be on the same wavelength as him and the sound is excellent. I've been listening to works from this set for months and consistently find myself absorbed by the music-making.