Mozart: Piano Concertos 20-25

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), London Philharmonia Orchestra (Orchestra), Vladimir Ashkenazy (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy
• Orchestra: London Philharmonia Orchestra
• Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Audio CD (August 26, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0000041LF
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,926 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #33 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Keyboard > Piano
  • #65 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Concertos > General
  • #65 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Classical (c.1770-1830) > General

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic buy, December 17, 2002

By 

MurrayTheCat (upstate New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mozart: Piano Concertos 20-25 (Audio CD)

Here are several of the late concertos, in one mid-priced package, wonderfully played by both pianist and orchestra. These performances are taken from the cycle Ashkenazy did with the fabulous Philharmonia (late 70s through the mid 80s.) A very high level was established and maintained throughout these recordings. An earlier incarnation of this release lured me into purchasing his complete set of concertos. It really is quite a fantastic cycle--both sound and performance--which has been highly praised by many for years.

Ashkenazy handles the dramatic aspects of 20 without becoming too stormy. II is especially beautiful. There's a fluent, melting lyricism in his playing and the orchestra sounds just heavenly. In 21, the Philharmonia strings are gorgeous and Ashkenazy (who conducts this entire cycle from the keyboard) plays with a freshness of discovery few others have matched. I am inclined to say that Ashkenazy's 20 and 21 are as good as any despite very strong competition from the classic Serkin/Szell (CBS) in 20 and from Casadesus/Szell (CBS) and Serkin with the LSO under Abbado (DG) in 21.

Ashkenazy's 23 is serene with gorgeous orchestral support; he brings out the beauty of the music without any unwanted preciosity. 24 can sound heavy, but again, it's the music's delicacy and serenity that are emphasized here. Ashkenazy's tone is attractive and the sheer beauty of the Philharmonia seduces me. These are enchanting performances. 25 benefits from Ashkenazy's nuance and sensitivity--he makes it really sing. My favorite 23 is Curzon/Kertesz (London), and don't overlook Brendel/Marriner (Philips). When it comes to 24, Curzon/Kertesz wins again, but Ashkenazy is not far behind--nor is the fabulous Moravec/Marriner on the Hanssler label. And for 25, Barenboim (EMI) just nudges out the recording at hand as my absolute favorite.

So, everything here is either as good as it gets or the next best thing (which is very good indeed). This release gets my unqualified recommendation. Please note that 25 is split between the two discs. And don't forget that the complete set can be had for a very reasonable price.
Cheers,
Murray

68 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mozart is God. (Ashkenazy comes pretty close), December 26, 1999

By 

CMS "mr_keiichi" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mozart: Piano Concertos 20-25 (Audio CD)

What's more amazing: The fact that one can get almost all the "good" Mozart piano concertos for such a low price, or the fact that Vladimir Ashkenazy is playing them? Either way you look at it, this CD is a must-buy for any true Mozart fan, and casual listeners will appreciate the bargain value. Ashkenazy's individuality shines most when playing his own cadenzas: by combining his knowledge of Mozart's style with his own contemporary tastes, Ashkenazy delivers some delightful virtuoso work.

Of course, when it comes to the written note, Ashkenazy is just as meticulous. For example, his deliberate style in the piano exposition of the 20th Piano Concerto brings even more emotional tension to an already amazing work. Even in complicated 16th-note runs, Ashkenazy never loses sight of a movement's mood; his interpretation brings a certain personality to all the works. Mozart would have loved it.

The Philharmonia does an excellent job in backing up the piano. Never competing, always complementing the piano, the orchestra gets it "just right," although most of this is probably due to Mozart's perfectly balanced orchestrations.

All in all, a perfect collection of Mozart's most popular (if not also the best) piano concertos. If you don't buy it, you'll be missing out big-time!

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Recordings, Ashkenazy is an awesome pianist, November 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Mozart: Piano Concertos 20-25 (Audio CD)

The Penguin guide to classical music described these recordings as "golden". I agree, they're fantastic. Ashkenazy is awesome, and the Philharmonia Orchestra sounds gorgeous. The recorded sound is wonderful, and the soloist/conductor and orchestra are in total harmony. Musical bliss...However, I recommend buying ALL of Mozart's piano concertos. There are so many wonderful concertos that are not included in this set. Although not all of them are on the level of 23 or 20, most of them are really good and you won't want to miss them. Starting with 9, they're all good, though some of them are stronger in one movement than the the other two movements. As far as Ashkenazy's complete set of Mozart's piano concertos, all the recordings are excellent on that set except for the concerto for two pianos (NO. 10), the other pianist in that recording didn't have chemistry with Ashkenazy. I recommend buying the complete set with Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia Orchestra along with a better performance of No. 10. If you already own a complete Mozart piano concertos set and just want to check this set out, then these two CD's are the perfect place to look.