COMPOSERS: Mozart
LABELS: Philips Duo
WORKS: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E flat, K271; Piano Concerto No. 15 in B flat, K450; Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat, K482,; Piano Concerto No. 25 in C, K503; Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat, K595
PERFORMER: Alfred Brendel (piano)ASMF/Neville Marriner
CATALOGUE NO: 442 571-2 ADD/DDD (1975- 82)
These splendid performances are full of the insight and wit one has come to expect from Brendel in this repertoire, and they are greatly enhanced by the Academy’s alert playing. Brendel embellishes some of Mozart’s skeletal lines (with greater success in the minuet episode of K482’s finale than the slow movement of K595, where the decorations are a little fussy); and he provides his own stylish lead-ins and cadenzas where appropriate. By splitting one of the works across two discs, Philips has managed to accommodate five concertos on this double album; and since it comes for the price of a single CD, it is an irresistible bargain. No one who loves the Mozart concertos should miss it. Misha Donat
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E flat, K271; Piano Concerto No. 15 in B flat, K450; Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat, K482,; Piano Concerto No. 25 in C, K503; Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat, K595
These splendid performances are full of the insight and wit one has come to expect from Brendel in this repertoire, and they are greatly enhanced by the Academy’s alert playing. Brendel embellishes some of Mozart’s skeletal lines (with greater success in the minuet episode of K482’s finale than the slow movement of K595, where the decorations are a little fussy); and he provides his own stylish lead-ins and cadenzas where appropriate.
Our rating
5
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:16 pm