Customer Reviews

Mozart: The Piano Concertos

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

An excellent survey of Mozart's original piano concertos (5 through 27, the first four being pastiches), recorded between 1983 and 1988 and now reissued in a mid-price format by Archiv. Bilson and Gardiner are two of the luminaries of period performance, so one naturally has the highest expectations, although the more recent set by Levin and Hogwood does offer some serious competition. And, while the collaboration improves both in polish and rapport as the set progresses, these performances are sure not to disappoint. Following contemporary practice, Bilson plays continuo throughout, a touch which may surprise some listeners brought up on modern-instrument records. Similarly, Bilson's cadenzas could seem restrained to those viewing these works through the lens of the Romantic piano concerto, though he is also at liberty to ornament the written part more freely. But the delicacy of the slow movement of the 23rd concerto here needs no apologies, even held up again Horowitz's late recording; and often-- as in the cadenza to the last concerto, drawing upon "Sehnsucht nach dem Fruhlinge," a song Mozart composed around the same time-- the scholarship backing these performances up only enhances their invention and charm. An excellent collection, and an even better deal.

It's not that Bilson is the world's greatest (forte-) pianist, although he's very, very good. (He's better as a performer than as a composer--he uses his own cadenzas where better ones, such as Beethoven's in #20, are commonly played.) It's not that two centuries of developing the modern piano were wasted effort, and the fortepiano sounds best after all. It's not that history trumps musicality. What makes these recordings great is that an appropriate balance between soloist and orchestra is restored.

Anyone with a sense of musical proportion, who listens carefully to recordings of piano concertos, can tell that the piano is often in the foreground when it belongs in the background, and backup from other instruments is often nearly inaudible. Of course this is especially true of the earlier concertos (Bach, Haydn, Mozart), which were scored and written based on the feeble solo instruments of the time.

Here, Archiv's restraint in miking/mixing, on top of the severe limitations of the fortepiano, greatly shifts the balance of power back towards the orchestra. This is not invariably an improvement, but most of the time it restores proper proportion to Mozart's music, with outstanding results. Often it adds drama, because instead of floating above the orchestral fray, the soloist must play very forcefully to address the competing sound of the orchestra. Perhaps the orchestra plays with a bit more conviction knowing they're not just going to be overrun by a Steinway the size of an Amtrak.

As Bilson was literally the first to admit (in the original CD notes), the fortepianos he plays cannot deliver the long legato line that pianists use to great effect in the slow movements. So there is much to be said for hearing these works on the modern piano. But Bilson and Gardiner take the bull by the horns, pick up the tempo as needed, and make the slow movements convincing on their own terms.

I got the full-priced edition years ago, and greatly enjoy going back and forth between it and modern-piano versions. Highly, though not exclusively, recommended.

Mozart was a Mason. A child of the Enlightenment. A believer in humanity's perfectability, who had the philosophical luck to die before the disappointments of the French revolution. He wrote music of tragedy and despair, but he never wrote a note of Gothic horror, of 'Romantic' reaction against rationality, a task he left untouched, shall we say, for the next generation. If you want your Mozart to sound like the art of someone who's been reading Schopenhauer, you won't like this set of piano concertos played by Malcolm Bilsen, with John Eliot Gardiner conducting.

Bilsen plays a period keyboard fortepiano, an instrument of much lighter construction than the modern pianoforte, on which the 'decay' of note reverberation is naturally quicker, making a softer and more transparent sound. The orchestra of period instruments that Gardiner conducts is also smaller by far and more carefully tuned than the modern symphony orchestra, and emphasizes the polyphonic/heterophonic interplay of all the voices of the composition. The tempi chosen by Gardiner are often faster, more nimble, more witty than most post-Wagnerian conductors choose. The result is a Mozart who sounds as if he's passed Sarastro's "initiation" into wisdom as portrayed in the Magic Flute, rather than settling into the syphilitic gloom of 19th C Romantic pianism.

There is no absolutely historically authenticized version of Mozart, and double-absolutely no "definitive" performance of these twenty-seven concertos. I recently made the tongue-in-cheek suggestion that a performance of them on harpsichord might be revealing, since Mozart grew up in a milieu in which harpsichords were far more familiar than pianos of any sort. The touch required to play the fortepiano, Bilsen's instrument, is closer in some ways to a harpsichord touch than that developed by Liszt and Chopin. It's the touch, as much as the specific instrument, that matters for performing Mozart. Bilsen has the touch. I like his sound, a judgement by ear alone, better than that of Derek Han or Melvyn Tan, two other historical keyboard specialists. And I admire Gardiner's spunk - his musical intuition - even when occasionally his interpretations are rash.

But don't take my word for anything! Use the sample function; compare the same snippets from the same concertos on as many recordings as you have patience for. I'd suggest Concerto #20.

So far, not one reviewer here rated this unique set of Mozart's grand concertos below a perfect 5 stars. I think everyone got it right on this one. This is marvelously performed music that has can transport you back in your mind to the 18th century Vienna of Mozart's time - the scenes we all remember from the movie Amadeus with the beautiful period attire & white wigs, old-world European buildings & concert halls and especially that tiny pianoforte that Mozart played so dashingly. Playing an exact replica of this fortepiano, Malcom Bilson wonderfully captures this period spirit with these most intimate-sounding concertos. While not superceeding the staturesque cycles of these works (on modern instruments) of Perahia, Brendel, Schiff, Uchida and others, these period performance bring a fresh - even nostalgic - perspective to this most historic of Mozart's music.

There is something about Mozart's piano music that is brought out with great charm and energy on period instruments. As much as we can admire the grand sound and range of a modern Steinway, Bilson's fortepiano here, along with the period winds and strings, all combines to create a magical and inspiring journey back in time. Mr. Bilsons summons a Mozart-like virtuosity in the bouncy allegros and rondos with his quicksilver, dancing legato and spirited cadenza runs (many his own). The period winds are especially wonderful here with their more penetrating, darker sonorities creating a pallitable sense of drama. The orchestration from the English Baroque Soloists is incredibly rich and most distinquished in these recordings. They create a powerful, edge-of-your-seat drama in the great D-minor (K.466) and C-minor (K.491) concertos that is memorable. An equally brilliant and truly exceptional performance is seen in the great C-major concerto, K.367 as well.

However, in the slow, lyrical movements - like the poinant larghetto in the 27th concerto or the 21st's famous andante - Bilson's modest fortepiano cannot quite achieve the depth of expression that comes easily with the wider dynamic resources of the modern piano. Yet, Mozart's charming and tender writing still are there, and Bilson makes the most of the moment artistically with equisitely-musical performances. (It is no wonder that Mozart - being the lyrical songwriter he was - became so enthusiastic upon the development and potential offered of the sustaining pedel).

The only aspect of these recordings that I wasn't completely happy about was the balance between the often soft-spoken fortepiano solos (which are sometimes hard to hear) versus the orchestra coming in at full forte (ff). I was reaching for volume knob more than I cared to. This is the only aspect that keeps me from more frequent listening of these recordings. Gardiner comments in the liner notes as to why this was an authentic way to conduct and record these concertos, which he describes more as "grand symphonic works with piano obbligato." Still, it will be a "show-stopper" for some which is unfortunate.

Overall, this set is a real gem in the world of Mozart recordings that can give a fresh perspective on the great piano concertos, including many earlier concertos from No. 5 onward that not often included in the later "great concertos" collections. An now-discontinued coupling of No.20/24 received a Penguin Rosette rating, which should give the prospective buyer some idea as to the high quality of the music here. Overall, a splendid bargin (about half the price of other complete cycles) and treasure not to be missed by the ardent Mozart fan. Compositions - 5 stars; Performance - 5 stars; Sound quality - 4 stars; Instrument balance - 2 stars.

I can only echo the praise given by other reviewers. The Gardiner/Bilsom performances are monuments to the "original instrument" movement. The works have a splendid clarity that highlight the lovely tones produced by the pianoforte. Let's not forget that these are some of Mozart's most charming works. (They vary in sophistication, but "light" Mozart is splendid in its own way. There isn't a dud in the bunch.) Considering the price, this is truly a "must buy" for music lovers.

John Eliot Gardiner and Mr. Bilson deliver the goods on some of my favorite music in the world. After about 5 seconds you get over the fact that it's a fortepiano. To me, the fortepiano best suits Mozart's busy sound, those magic fingers running up and down the keyboard. And the orchestra! On the money. Just listen to the orchestra come in in the beginnng of the 20th concerto. Wham! And they bring out colors and tones I haven't heard before; the winds do well here. A 3-CD set of the concertos 20-27 is out there if you don't want all of it. Highly recommended.

Deutsche Grammophon has recently reissued Mozart Piano Concertos recorded by Bilson and Gardiner in the mid to late 1980's. At this price it is a very attractive introduction to period instrument performance. Although these interpretations do not necessarily show these concertos as they were performed in Mozart's time, they certainly come close since Gardiner uses the same orchestral forces that Mozart was familiar with in the 1780's. Somehow I could imagine an ensemble such as the English Baroque Soloists performing as the court orchestra to the Habsburg dynasty in Vienna. Bilson and Gardiner's collaboration is at its best with Mozart's later piano concertos; though throughout the set they share an excellent rapport with the EBS. I was surprised by the great range of tone as well as drama which Bilson draws from the vintage piano; that in itself is worth the price of these CDs, though Bilson's warm, lyrical performances should be regarded as good as those from Ashkenazy and Brendel. The sound quality is excellent, though not quite up to the latest digital standard. An earlier edition of this set may still be available for sale at amazon.com; in lieu of that, you should purchase this marvellous collection.

In what must be considered a triumph of performance and recording, the Bilson/Gardiner/English Baroque Soloists collaboration on the Mozart Piano Concertos cycle makes us understand anew what Mozart should really sound like. These are period instruments? We can't make ourselves believe that, and yet that is the case here, as remarkable as that may be. The sound that pours forth from these discs is rich, vibrant, full, and, powerful. Bilson doesn't miss a beat, and Gardiner and the English Baroque Soloists play throughout with their usual silky perfection. The recording quality is simply superb, and the balance between piano and orchestra is just right. And although the piano is the focus of this set of works, the English Baroque Soloists play with such great precision and rich sound that we appreciate all over again the important role in orchestral accompaniment in successfully pulling off compositions like these. This is certainly a set that most, if not all, classical musical enthusiasts should consider acquiring.

These discs, as virtually all of the Archiv/DG discs from the 1980's and 90's, were originally released as individual pieces. At that time, these discs were being sold at a much greater price, and collecting the entire set was a more difficult task. With DG's more recent "Collector's Edition" box sets, which consist of entire sets of re-issued recordings in a more economical packaging, acquiring these sets is now simultaneously much easier and less expensive. (In fact, building a comprehensive classical collection today using such box sets is now much more a feasible undertaking, and although we lose out on all the lovely artwork that once graced the individual Archiv discs, it is a small price to pay for making these recordings much more affordable and pre-organized into comprehensive collections.)

Mozart's Piano Concertos, a form he essentially created, are some of the most delightful, cheery, and upbeat pieces in the repertoire, and even non-classical enthusiasts have difficulty avoiding their obvious delights. Nevertheless, even Mozart said that there were gems hidden among them that only the most musically talented individuals would be able to discern, and so these pieces hold something for everyone. Among the numerous recordings available, this set is certainly one of the very best, making it a prime choice for the collector. Take advantage of DG's "Collector's Edition" set to make it an even better deal.

Currently, I own 3 sets of the Mozart Piano Concertos (two modern instrument ones - Anda & Schiff; and the Gardiner-Bilson set). I must agree w/ the reviewers who rated this HIP set 5* - my main reason for posting is to help 'counteract' the ridiculous rating of 2* given, primarily because the CDs did not sound good on the highway in a car! I play a lot of CDs in my car, but rarely classical music because the dynamic range needed to appreciate these performances just will not work on a highway; if I wanted to hear a lot of classical music in the car, I'd probably 'burn' my CDs to CD-Rs using software in which I could compress the dynamic range, so 'lows' & 'highs' can be heard comfortably.

If you want to hear the sheer monumental, inexpressable genius of Mozart's music, this box set is essential. 5 stars does not even begin to describe the level of performance that Bilson, Gardiner, and the EBS set with these recordings. Truly astounding. But like one previous reviewer stated, it is pointless to write a review and even worse to rate it on a scale of one to five. You have to hear it for yourself.