Customer Reviews

Mozart: Piano Concertos [Klavierkonzerte / Concertos Pour Piano]

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

 

 

Hungarian violinist Sandor Vegh of the legendary Vegh Quartet was a great conductor as well and here he displays his astute abilities, leading the Camerata Academica des Mozarteums Salzburg (a hand-picked chamber orchestra) in readings that are lean and vigorous and communicate wonderfully with the pianist. Andras Schiff always sounds so much more inspired under ensemble conditions (at least in my opinion) and here he provides dazzling, crystalline playing that is always refreshing and insightful. I'm not sure what type of piano he uses but it almost sounds like a more full-bodied version of a fortepiano, one that isn't completely drowned out by the orchestra like in some HIP recordings (do check out Andreas Staier though). Schiff and Vegh really make a case for some of the more overlooked concertos, particularly Nos. 12, 13, 14, 15, and 18. There's a passage about half-way through the first movement of No. 12 that is one of the most profoundly tragic passages in all of Mozart's music and the finale of No. 14 is truly one of the composer's most brilliant creations (same for the haunting G-minor slow movement of No. 18). Overall, I vastly prefer this set to the overrated ones of Brendel, Perahia, and Uchida among others.

I agree with Sam about the quality of this set. I think he is unfair to Uchida, Perahia and (the young) Brendel (who can forgive his later 'decoration' of the A major for instance?), who have all produced some wonderful recordings; and I would never want to be without, say, Curzon playing the A major or the D minor, or Geza Anda playing number 21 or Gulda's faulty but heartfelt performance of number 25, Ashkenazy's insights and touch on the piano, etc.

But Schiff consistently presents (with, as Sam points out, the wonderful help of Vegh and a superb orchestra) performances that are satisfying at the highest level. They sound like Mozart unadorned, given with the utmost simplicity, thanks to the superb technique, but with a life, a personality that captures the grace and passion, the variety of emotion and the development of musical thought, that too often slip away from other peformers. I have been listening to this set for years now, and it is never stale, never showy, always at the service of the music