Mozart Piano Concertos

[Que]

Somehow I had overlooked this one.  I have the Gardiner/Bilson set, which is fine, but you need a little variety sometimes, ya know?  Ordered!    Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Que! 

You're welcome and I'm curious what you make of it.
BTW since that coverpicture, the set has been repackaged in a slim line cardboard box:



Q

[anasazi]

For fortepiano, there are the Richard Goode CDs (with Orpheus).  Not a complete set though, just four CDs.  Very nice however.  But my choice on piano is still the Perahia complete set.  Just a nice way of thinking about Mozart.  The very fine touch on the keys and the expertice of the ECO.   I simply love listening to each and every concerto in the set.  Perahia is a natural Mozartian.

[adamdavid80]

But my choice on piano is still the Perahia complete set.  Just a nice way of thinking about Mozart.  The very fine touch on the keys and the expertice of the ECO.   I simply love listening to each and every concerto in the set.  Perahia is a natural Mozartian.

Perahia was my intro to the PC's, and I really loved them, but right now I'm finding his touch to be a little too "reverential".  The way Brendel plays seems a little more fascinated with PLAYING, and, as I imagine Mozart himself approached playing before an audience, humoring the audience at times by enjoying his own talent here and there.

I remember years ago I saw a concert with Eric Clapton and Robert Cray trading guitar solos.  Cray started playing some flashy riffs, and Clapton looked at him, and laughingly went to a microphone and told him, "Don't even try, Robert, because I will cut you off at the knees!"

That's the sense I get from Brendel's 21st, that I miss in a Perahia or Uchida.  That sort of playful showmanship that establishes not only is the performer having the time of his life, but really enjoying letting the world know it. 

[chankaiming]

Anyone have any comment on Barenboim Teldec set of piano concerto with BPO?

[adamdavid80]

I'd alos like to hear reactions to the new Biss CD...

[Sorin Eushayson]

You're welcome and I'm curious what you make of it.
BTW since that coverpicture, the set has been repackaged in a slim line cardboard box:



Q

Yes, that's the one that arrived.  I was actually hoping for the first packaging, it seems a bit classier!  Oh well.

I think the sonorities are much clearer here than in Gardiner's set and the balance between piano and orchestra is much better as well.  Very nice!

[Mandryka]

There are some extraordinary recordings of these concertos out there -- and I am very keen to find the best of the bunch.

To kick it off I'll just list some of my favourites and see what you all think.

#14 -- Bilson
#15 -- Solomon
#19 -- Perahia
#20 -- Szell and Serkin
#22 -- Landowska
#24 -- Curzon and Kubelik, Bilson
#26 -- Landowska
#27 -- Schnabel, Curzon and Kubelik

The great enigma for me is Edwin Fischer. I don't know whether I love him or loath him he's such a strong personality. And those cadenzas?!

[Herman]

Two other ones are Casadesus and Uchida.

[Mandryka]

Thanks for mentioning Casadesus and Uchida, Hermann.

I like Casadesus (he was Glenn Gould's favourite for these concertos)

Uchidda is an excellent piano player, and I like her Debussy Etudes and her Second Vienna School recordings. I also enjoyed a concert she gave of late Beethoven sonatas (I haven't heard the recordings)

But in Mozart and Schubert I think she is a bit bland.

[Sorin Eushayson]

[Mandryka]

I must say  I think that the Gardiner Bilson set is the best complete set I know -- better than Buchbinder and better than Perrahia. Provided you're not allergic to the fortepiano.

I think Bilson is a truly great pianist. His Mozart sonatas are Gouldian -- but he can pull off the Buffo approach to Mozart more often than Gould on the whole (though I think that Gould is unsurpassed in some of the sonatas, and he's the best ever in the C minor fantasy.)

The Gould Mozart concerto is interesting -- #24. But for me it's only really special in the variations movement. The first two movements are well played but not as poetic as Curzon and Kubelck, or as witty as Bilson and Gardiner,  I think.

PS -- can someone please explain how you get an image in this editor?

[George]

PS -- can someone please explain how you get an image in this editor?

1. Click reply, then on the blue link, click "Additional Options" and choose an image to attach from your computer's hard drive.

2. Or click the third icon from the left above the smileys. Then paste a url from an online image between the two sets of brackets (I omit the "url" because it won't show the text if I do) - [][/]. 

[George]

I like Haskil's concertos, Casadesus and the sets of Anda and Perahia.

[hornteacher]

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano-Concertos-Nos-20/dp/B000009D79/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1232546640&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Piano-Concertos-Nos-24/dp/B0000277GE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1232546684&sr=8-1

Two of my absolute favorites.

[dirkronk]

Casadesus (mainly w/ Szell, in several of the concerti)
Annie Fischer.
Moravec.
Fleisher (w/ Szell in 25).
Lili Kraus (w/ Monteux in 14 & 18).
And most especially...Haskil (w/ Markevitch, Fricsay, others--this artist is still a first choice for me in virtually any Mozart concerto she played, mainly from 19 and higher).

I could also mention Schnabel, whose Mozart PC#20 (with Dobrowen IIRC*) in a truly ancient, noisy recording nevertheless broke through the sonic snobbery barrier that surrounded my listening attitude one evening in the early 1980s...and utterly converted me to a new appreciation of phrasing, power and artistic skill. True, I later found performances of the piece that I liked even better, but those kind of "eureka!" experiences make vivid impressions.


Dirk

* I was wrong. It was Susskind.

[rubio]

The great enigma for me is Edwin Fischer. I don't know whether I love him or loath him he's such a strong personality. And those cadenzas?!

Edwin Fischer is one of my absolute favourite pianists (in his repertoire), and I love more or less all his Mozart PC recordings. It seems like he reaches depths in these works like no other (maybe these depths don't even exist in the works to begin with ) - well, at least such personality from the pianist works big time for me). Other Mozart pianists I like the most are Solomon, Casadesus, Haskil. The only work I've done a big comparison for is the 23'rd, and there I really liked Solomon, but e.g. Pollini/Bohm was very nice being accompanied by WP.

[dirkronk]

Other Mozart pianists I like the most are Solomon, Casadesus, Haskil. The only work I've done a big comparison for is the 23'rd, and there I really liked Solomon...

Rubio, your comments here make me realize that it's been years since I listened to Solomon in Mozart. I seem to recall an LP box set of assorted Mozart concerti and sonatas that's been gathering dust on my shelves for ages. And it's not because I don't appreciate the pianist. Quite the contrary: Solomon's versions of Beethoven, Brahms et al get loads of turntable time (and his Chopin CD gets spun a lot on my boombox at work). Maybe it's time for me to rediscover ol' Sol's WAM! Thanks.

Dirk

[Philoctetes]

Lortie.

[SonicMan46]

Well, the above is the HIP set (of a total of 3 that I own posted on the opening of this thread) that I currently own - now listening to the first disc (after a long absence!) - as expected, the fortepiano has a much more delicate sound but one which I really enjoy (and have acquired many other performances on this instrument) - if you want a HIP collection of these works, this is still one of the best to obtain - short comparison review HERE - 

[Josquin des Prez]

Casadesus > all. Ok i'm out.