Customer Reviews

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 24 & 25, K. 491,503

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

 

 

First, if you don't have 24 or haven't heard it, it is one of the greatest pieces in the standard repertoire. Of Mozart's 27 piano concerti, only two are in minor keys (20 and 24) and this one is, to my mind, in the top two or three. (I like 22 about as much; while 24 is in C minor, 22 is in Eb major, whose relative minor is C minor. 22 has quite a few episodes of sturm und drang that presage this work. Composing pieces in a minor key was frowned on in Mozart's day; with 20, he finagled his way out of it by tacking on a major key ending, in 24, it stays dark all the way to the bitter end.)

It's hard to say anything bad about a disc that has so much going for it, but ultimately, it adds up to less than it could have. First, on the positive side, the sound is absolutely amazing. I can't imagine how any engineers could hope to get a better recording of a piano concerto. The balance between the piano and the orchestra is perfect. The orchestra sound is deep and warm, but not smarmy sounding. The sound of the piano is also fabulous. These two pieces could hardly be better works to test the integrative faculties of the engineers, and on that, they pass with flying colors.

The performances are great, but I disagree with the other reviewer who claims these are the best ever. Quite often in 24, the tempo seems amiss. Sometimes 24 is played as absurdly Romantic sounding, but here, they seem to have chosen to slow down parts of it to increase the drama, which is pretty annoying to anyone who has heard this piece a lot of times. Some of the tempi are more like Mahler than Mozart, which is just plain weird. And this piece doesn't need any help in the drama department. Also, Moravec's cadenza in 24 is disappointing, in my opinion. I had the Sony recording with Cadesus, so I'm a bit biased, but the cadenza breaks up the piece at a key point and inserts an interlude that is out of sorts with the other material.

I'd still recommend this, though, just wouldn't have it as my only performance. I'm going to keep looking...

In this whole series of Mozart piano concertos, Moravec unfailingly strikes that wonderful and ever-changing balance between play and elegance, wit and pathos that makes Mozart so great.

I get so carried away with the sheer fun of these performances that I'm often oblivious to their considerable virtuosity. I suspect that's the point.

For my money, these Mozart Concertos are even better than Annie Fischer's, which I hadn't thought was possible.

This is quite simply the greatest performance of Mozart's 24th piano concerto yet recorded. Move over Brendel, Ashkenazy, and Pires; Moravec has proven yet again why he's one of the greatest pianists alive. He spends a minimum of two years working to perfect new additioins to his repetoire, and it shows. Music-making at its very best.

These are the most passionate, lyrical performances I've heard of Mozart's 24th and 25th piano concerti. Moravec is definitely a great pianist who has substantial empathy for Mozart's scores. Yet I must also add that I was a bit disappointed with Moravec's choice of cadenzas; these wren't as elaborate as those I've heard on other recordings by Ashkenazy and Brendel. Admittedly, Moravec's interpretations may not satisfy those who are well versed with Brendel's performances, yet these are just as credible, and I think, substantially more exciting. Sir Neville Marriner leads the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields in two splendid performances of the orchestral scores noted for their rich warm sound. The sound quality is quite good, though it may not be as refined as the best I've heard from Teldec, Deutsche Grammophon and Philips.