Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 8 in C, K246; Piano Concerto No. 23 in A, K488; Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K491; Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat, K595

These famous recordings, made in the early Sixties, show Kempff at his best: elegant and restrained, but always very eloquent. Some may find his account of the final rondo of K595 a shade too autumnal, but it is all of a piece with his view of this concerto as a valedictory work. The recordings scarcely betray their age, though there is some distortion in the opening movement of the B flat Concerto; and one or two noticeable edits that betray the fact that the cadenzas both for this work and the C minor Concerto K491, were put down at separate sessions. Misha Donat

Our rating

5

Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:16 pm

COMPOSERS: Mozart
LABELS: DG Double
WORKS: Piano Concerto No. 8 in C, K246; Piano Concerto No. 23 in A, K488; Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K491; Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat, K595
PERFORMER: Wilhelm Kempff (piano)Berlin PO, Bamberg SO/ Ferdinand Leitner
CATALOGUE NO: 439 699-2 ADD (1962/60)

These famous recordings, made in the early Sixties, show Kempff at his best: elegant and restrained, but always very eloquent. Some may find his account of the final rondo of K595 a shade too autumnal, but it is all of a piece with his view of this concerto as a valedictory work. The recordings scarcely betray their age, though there is some distortion in the opening movement of the B flat Concerto; and one or two noticeable edits that betray the fact that the cadenzas both for this work and the C minor Concerto K491, were put down at separate sessions. Misha Donat

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