Mozart: Piano Concertos 9 & 18

Leif Ove Andsnes/Norwegian Chamber Orchestra | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: November 28, 2005
• Release Date: October 4, 2004
• Label: EMI Classics
• Copyright: (C) 2004 EMI Records Ltd.
• Total Length: 59:26
• Genres:
• ASIN: B000TEVIDK
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,203 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as it gets, March 6, 2005

By 

Richard Steiger (Murray, KY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mozart: Piano Concertos #9 & 18 - Leif Ove Andsnes (Audio CD)

I don't know what to praise here first, so I'll begin with the music. #9 is, of course, one of Mozart's best-known concertos, but #18 is rarely played in the concert hall. I cannot understand why, as it is every bit as great as the concertos that surround it, with an eloquent slow movement and wonderfully rollicking finale. I'm not familiar with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, but they are clearly one of the worl's finest ensembles, playing with extraordinary precision and zest. The recorded sound is exemplary, the balance between piano and orchestra perfect. As for Andsnes, his playing is wonderfully alert at every moment, full of brio in the lively moments and lyricism where called for (particularly in the slow movement of 18, played, to very good effect, somewhat faster than usual. I compared this recording of 18 to Perahia's with the ECO and found that Perahia played splendidly as ever, but he's much too closely recorded and the English Chamber Orchestra sounds diffuse and, frankly, clumsy. In every way, this release strikes me as exemplary. Anyone who purchases this disc is guaranteed an hour of pure pleasure.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Leif Ove Andsnes: A Musician's AND an Audience's Musician!, August 8, 2005

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mozart: Piano Concertos #9 & 18 - Leif Ove Andsnes (Audio CD)

Though Leif Ove Andsnes has been on concert stages for some time now, he is finally reaching that estimable stature of one the now and future greats. This eloquent CD of two superb Mozart concerti (Nos. 9 and 18) will certainly contribute to his place in the ranks of fine pianists. Not only does he play with a refined sense of architecture and with utmost clarity, he is not afraid to let the singing, aria-like movements show his heart.

One other factor that makes this recital so worth owning is Andsnes' conducting the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra from the keyboard. The result is a marriage of thought and performance that makes these readings among the best available. The orchestra is utterly responsive to his interpretation and though the group is not a 'period orchestra', the sound Andsnes coaxes from them must be very close to the sound Mozart heard as he conducted them in 1777 and 1784 - less vibrato, playing a 'straight line' sound that simulates period instruments without sacrificing the warmth of modern orchestral timber. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, August 05

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Talented Andsnes Tackles Mozart With Precision and Style, January 15, 2005

By 

Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mozart: Piano Concertos #9 & 18 - Leif Ove Andsnes (Audio CD)

Having just enjoyed Leif Ove Andsnes' dramatically effective playing on his recording of Schubert's "Winterreise" with tenor Ian Bostridge, I wanted to see if I could enjoy his work without the accompaniment of a voice. With this recording, I can more fully appreciate the virtuoso trills and runs and overall warmth he brings to these two Mozart concertos. The two pieces make an interesting contrast: the Ninth seems darker with an almost epic feel, while Concerto #18 is far livelier and more expressive. In particular, the middle Andantino section of the Ninth has a haunting quality, almost like a dirge, where Andsnes plays with such mournful feeling that he replaces what would have surely been a moaning voice. However, both concertos still contain a generous number of Mozart's trademark credenzas, which provide a familiar sparkle to the overall performance. The brief CD booklet lends some interesting insight into the origins of the pieces, as Mozart apparently wrote each for two different female musicians to play. The emotional, almost airy freedom and harmonic colorations expressed in #18 seems to attest to this apocryphal fact, as a blind and prodigiously pianist named Maria Theresia Paradis is said to have introduced it in Paris in 1784.

The superb Norwegian Chamber Orchestra creates a strong and fulsome sound on both concertos, melding horns, woodwinds and strings to great effect. Andsnes responds by performing with great precision and stays true to the composer's familiar musical style with a genuine period flavor. I doubt if purists would be disappointed. The recording also captures the ideal tonal balance between Andsnes and the other musicians so that neither is overwhelmed by the other, a true ensemble. In fact, the aural qualities are so perfect that there are times when I was hoping for a little more adventurousness in approach, something that would challenge our perceptions of Mozart's music. To some degree, what the disc lacks is a truly individual mark that would make it transcendent, but give Andsnes some time to hone his obviously tremendous talent into something truly memorable. As it stands though, it's a very well planned and impeccably performed recording and not to slight it, but it makes the perfect background music for a Sunday brunch.