Customer Reviews

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 6, 17 & 21 / Géza Anda

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Geza Anda is not as familiar a name in the world of classical piano as is a Daniel Barenboim, Artur Rubenstein, Vladimir Ashkenazy, or Vladimir Horowitz; however, this recording of Mozart's 17th, 21st, and 6th concertos for piano show that Anda's ability to interpret Mozart is perhaps equal to that of the aforementioned pianists. The recording is splendid. It doesn't sound cold, despite the fact that it once carried a reputation for lacking emotion. Instead it sounds very classical, as Mozart would have liked it to have been played. Critics are so used to everything being interpreted romantically(even if it's not from the romantic period) that they forget that some pieces are not meant to be as utterly emotional as a work by Chopin or Liszt. Anda brings out the beauty and life from these mozart piano concertos and does quite a good job with the orchestra which he conducts from the piano. I've heard many versions of these concertos, from many stylistically different pianists like Uchida and Argerich. As far as I'm concerned, Anda performs these concertos better than all others, plus his cadenzas are majestic. On top of that, the sound is perfect, sounding as if it were just recently recorded. Plus at midprice, you couldn't ask for more. This CD truly a bargain, and I highly recommend it to anybody looking for a great interpretation of Mozart.

Geza Anda's playing is stellar. After hearing his #17 you won't be able to tolerate anyone else's. Geza Anda was to Mozart what Glen Gould was to Bach. His #21 is beautiful, too.

Do yourself a favor, and purchase this over the Serkin (Deutsche Grammophon) version. Anda really shines on the Andante of no. 21. Great Interpretation, Great Performance, and Great Value.

Geza Anda's performance of Mozart's 21st piano concerto is simply gorgeous. All other performances pale before it. His performance of the 17th concerto is also superb and No. 6 makes a welcome filler. No one who loves Mozart should pass up this disc.

More often than not, the first time you hear a piece of music and it catches your ear, it is that rendition which benchmarks all others for you. I grew up with this album so it naturally has more meaning to me (years of listening to its nuances, tempo, and performance) than others. So this recording is my personal bias.

I love both of piano concertos; No. 17 & No. 21. My recording doesn't have the addtional Concerto #6 which was obviously added later. Geza Anda plays artistically (not mechanically or lack of emotion)and the orchestra supports him full heartedly. But just knowing the other two concertos well I think qualify me to say that if you wish to introduce someone to classical music, this may be the very disc that will hook them for life. It's expressive and easy to listen to and Mozart certainly was a Master of beautiful music.

If you have had the exquisite joy of seeing the movie this music was accompanied by, this is the exact and most faithful album of it's music to buy.
This is the album that made me, at long last, love Mozart and understand the mysterious passion and love better educated people than me had always displayed.
Gorgeous recording of transcendentally gorgeous music.

I first bought this on 33 rpm LP (vinyl) many, many years ago. Our stereo has not been hooked up in years, so I was very excited to see it available as a CD on amazon. It is as pretty as I had remembered. I first heard it in the movie Elvira Madigan. It's beautiful, soothing music and I recommend it to anyone who likes that kind of music.

Géza Anda excels, mainly in the two "andantes" that work beautifully as the soundtrack of the movie. Not to be missed!!

This is a justly famous recording of Mozart's #21, being the same version used in the sound-track to Elvira Madigan: the music is far more interesting than the movie, which is melodrama at its most implausible, even if based on a true story.

Still, reviewers here who claim this is the best #17 there is must be smoking the curtains. It's an adequate 17. No more, no less.

The finest recording available of #17 is the one Andreas Staier did with Concerto Koln about 10 years ago. Currently out-of-print, but worth hunting down. It'll knock your socks off. It's arguably as close to how it all would have sounded when Mozart played it as anyone has achieved in the here-and-now.. and that's merely a felicitous detail. Staier and his band deliver a spectacularly virtuosic and insightful performance of Mozart. There is no better out there.

All others pale utterly in comparison. Except maybe one that Robert Levin did some years ago with an orchestra the name of which escapes me now..might have been a live performance. That one was terrific too. But not as good as Staier. He brings Mozart back alive in a way no other performers do.

As for the Anda here? Nice performance. Certainly worth the money. But hardly the be-all and end-all some reviewers here suggest. The playing is a bit pale and stodgy in general. It's no-one's fault. At the time, this was cutting-edge playing. It's simply been superceded.

And I grew up on Anda's complete set of recordings of the concertos. I know them well. They were favorites for a long time. And I still have a soft-spot for them.

But time marches on. And sometimes the new shadows the old. Such is the case here.

And before the period-bigots pile on, go *listen* to the Staier. For about 6 months. Get a firm grip on it. Get it into your bloodstream. Then come back and tell me what's wrong with it. If you can.