COMPOSERS: Mozart
LABELS: Decca
WORKS: Piano Concerto No. 20; Piano Concerto No. 21; Piano Concerto No. 23; Piano Concerto No. 27; Sonata K576; Rondo K511
PERFORMER: Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano); Philharmonia/Ashkenazy
CATALOGUE NO: 436 383-2 ADD/DDD (1967-83)
Ashkenazy takes a middle course between the Classical and the Romantic in these concertos. There is clarity and poise and nothing is rushed, but he lacks the spontaneity and sense of discovery that Barenboim brings to his EMI recordings. K467 is the most successful, the famous Andante ethereally beautiful and without a hint of saccharine. Elsewhere, opening movements are generally well-judged but Ashkenazy’s unhurried approach produces variable results in slow movements and finales. Piano and orchestra are realistically balanced in a slightly recessed acoustic, with the strings a little fierce in the louder passages. David Michaels
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20; Piano Concerto No. 21; Piano Concerto No. 23; Piano Concerto No. 27; Sonata K576; Rondo K511
Ashkenazy takes a middle course between the Classical and the Romantic in these concertos. There is clarity and poise and nothing is rushed, but he lacks the spontaneity and sense of discovery that Barenboim brings to his EMI recordings. K467 is the most successful, the famous Andante ethereally beautiful and without a hint of saccharine. Elsewhere, opening movements are generally well-judged but Ashkenazy’s unhurried approach produces variable results in slow movements and finales.
Our rating
4
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:36 pm