Mozart piano sonatas

[Mandryka]

It's not the first Kraus, it's the later stereo recording on SONY.

The early (Mono) one is on Music and Arts and I don't hear a lot of difference between them. Can you provide some examples?

One that was very clear to me was   K. 284, especially the variations movement. I thought it was one of the finest Mozart performances I have ever heard on the mono. And just a bit boring on the stereo.

[Mandryka]

Oh, well, I understood that you had disliked the Sturm und Drang CD. It was recorded in 2000, when Bezuindenhout was 21 years old. The new recording on HM was recorded in 2009. Anyway, I repeat: I don't have the Sturm und Drang disc and I have just listened to some movements available on YouTube (the piano sonata K310), but on that basis I wouldn't recommend it as the first choice.

I asked on rmcr and you're right. The Harmonia Mundi is made up of all new recordings. No repackagings from the red CD.

I only said I quite like the K475 and I like the K310 more . I certainly didn't like them enough to explore the Harmonia Mundi. But now I know they're fresh recordings I may well do so. As I said, I've heard some wonderful Mozart from him recently.

[George]

One that was very clear to me was   K. 284, especially the variations movement. I thought it was one of the finest Mozart performances I have ever heard on the mono. And just a bit boring on the stereo.

Cool, I will check that later. Kraus's Mozart is awesome, though, isn't it?

[Antoine Marchand]

I asked on rmcr and you're right. The Harmonia Mundi is made up of all new recordings. No repackagings from the red CD.

I only said I quite like the K475 and I like the K310 more . I certainly didn't like them enough to explore the Harmonia Mundi. But now I know they're fresh recordings I may well do so. As I said, I've heard some wonderful Mozart from him recently.

It's crystal clear now. 

[Josquin des Prez]

The most stimulating Mozart sonatas I have heard in the last few years are the Friedrich Gulda's DG 1980-1982 recordings.
Stimulating in the sense that I felt constantly surprised by "new" inner melodies in the pieces, by the invention of the phrasing and by the exuberance of the tone. Not for the faint of heart and for many schockingly unorthodox.
But for sheer musicality Gulda's reading is a brilliant example of his courageous individual talent.

I went to most of the recommendations mentioned in this thread i could get my hands on, and the only one that managed to impress me is this one, though alas the recording circumstances were less then ideal (sound artifacts, missing sonatas etc). I don't understand why Mozart's music is so difficult to interpret properly. I never had this much trouble collecting recordings with any other composer.

[Todd]

I confess I had never heard nor read of Hans Leygraf until I saw his Mozart sonata cycle at Amazon.  A Swedish pianist and professor, he apparently performed with a lot of A-listers and made his share of recordings.  This cycle was recorded by the Swedish Broadcasting Company in the early 80s and reissued initially early last decade.  The sound is generally pretty good for its age, getting better with the later recordings.  Leygraf's style is very straight-forward, devoid of much in the way of mannerism, and his playing is generally just right in terms of tempo and dynamics, though he can be a bit slow and stiff in some passages here and there.  There's really nothing spectacular or perverse here.  It's just good, solid Mozart playing.  It's sort of what one might think of when hearing or reading that a professor recorded the cycle.  I can't say that he matches up to my favorites, but I do think it will get repeated listens over the coming years.

[Scion7]

When I went about acquiring the sonatas in high school, I didn't know the very early ones at all, so went for a
'complete set' - this one didn't break the bank, and is pretty good:



Recorded in 1967 & 1971.  My only gripe was the one-sided, one-sheet insert - c'mon, DG, you could have at least
made a one-sheet fold-over 4pg with some sort of write-up!   The additional cost of a sheet of paper???
After all, the original "tulip" back covers had to have had them:



I picked up this CD used pretty cheap - it's not bad, but the performances aren't as good as Eschenbach's:

[Mandryka]

I confess I had never heard nor read of Hans Leygraf until I saw his Mozart sonata cycle at Amazon.  A Swedish pianist and professor, he apparently performed with a lot of A-listers and made his share of recordings.  This cycle was recorded by the Swedish Broadcasting Company in the early 80s and reissued initially early last decade.  The sound is generally pretty good for its age, getting better with the later recordings.  Leygraf's style is very straight-forward, devoid of much in the way of mannerism, and his playing is generally just right in terms of tempo and dynamics, though he can be a bit slow and stiff in some passages here and there.  There's really nothing spectacular or perverse here.  It's just good, solid Mozart playing.  It's sort of what one might think of when hearing or reading that a professor recorded the cycle.  I can't say that he matches up to my favorites, but I do think it will get repeated listens over the coming years.

There's loads of Leygraf on spotify. I came across him first quite recently when  I was exploring records of Haydn Sonata 19 -- I played most of  his Haydn and Mozart. I remember thinking exactly as you do: this is like a piano teacher playing.

[Todd]

I thought I had found my top tier Mozart cycles – Michael Endres, Walter Klien, and Lili Kraus' mono cycle – since pretty much every cycle I've heard since has lacked that special something.  (The closest to matching these three is Eric Heidsieck, but his idiosyncrasies keep him from joining the big three.  Just.)  Maria-João Pires' DG cycle is also extremely good, but it seems just a bit too polished and studio-bound.  Not so this earlier set.  Really, there isn't that much that separates them, but this earlier set has a more direct, fresher, less restrained feel, and everything just works.  The only quibble I have is with the finale of K331, which sounds more Andante than Allegretto, but then that's subjective anyway.  This set is a joy from start to finish.  It joins the top tier.

Sound for these digital recordings from 1974 is quite good, though it certainly sounds like at least one stage of the recording process was analog; low-level hiss is audible throughout the entire set through speakers and headphones.  Perhaps analog was used in mixing or mastering, who knows?  I can live with that.

[Leo K.]

I thought I had found my top tier Mozart cycles – Michael Endres, Walter Klien, and Lili Kraus' mono cycle – since pretty much every cycle I've heard since has lacked that special something.  (The closest to matching these three is Eric Heidsieck, but his idiosyncrasies keep him from joining the big three.  Just.)  Maria-João Pires' DG cycle is also extremely good, but it seems just a bit too polished and studio-bound.  Not so this earlier set.  Really, there isn't that much that separates them, but this earlier set has a more direct, fresher, less restrained feel, and everything just works.  The only quibble I have is with the finale of K331, which sounds more Andante than Allegretto, but then that's subjective anyway.  This set is a joy from start to finish.  It joins the top tier.

Sound for these digital recordings from 1974 is quite good, though it certainly sounds like at least one stage of the recording process was analog; low-level hiss is audible throughout the entire set through speakers and headphones.  Perhaps analog was used in mixing or mastering, who knows?  I can live with that.

Thanks for that review, I'm real interested in hearing some of those sets you mention here.

[Que]

[...] Maria-João Pires' DG cycle is also extremely good, but it seems just a bit too polished and studio-bound.  Not so this earlier set.  Really, there isn't that much that separates them, but this earlier set has a more direct, fresher, less restrained feel, and everything just works.  The only quibble I have is with the finale of K331, which sounds more Andante than Allegretto, but then that's subjective anyway.  This set is a joy from start to finish.  It joins the top tier.

See?  I absolutely agree with your comments, though I tend to feel less favourable about the DG-cycle which seems too deliberate and overwrought.

Q

[Sergeant Rock]

See?  I absolutely agree with your comments, though I tend to feel less favourable about the DG-cycle which seems too deliberate and overwrought.

Q

I prefer the DG cycle because it's deliberate and overwrought   

I never warmed to her earlier cycle. Glad to see you guys enjoy it though. Something for everyone.

Sarge

[jlaurson]

New Work by Young Mozart Discovered and Performed



incl. excerpt from today's world premiere performance in Salzburg.

http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2012/03/new-work-by-young-mozart-discovered-and.html

[Opus106]

New Work by Young Mozart Discovered and Performed



incl. excerpt from today's world premiere performance in Salzburg.

http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2012/03/new-work-by-young-mozart-discovered-and.html

I felt dejected while watching that on the news, when I realised that the box of Complete Keyboard Works of Mozart that I have can no longer be referred to in that way. Just because a few notes were added to the catalogue...

[North Star]

I felt dejected while watching that on the news, when I realised that the box of Complete Keyboard Works of Mozart that I have can no longer be referred to in that way. Just because a few notes were added to the catalogue...

Don't throw it in the garbage bin, though; send it to me! 

[Scion7]

Don't fret, if Mozart didn't "save" it somehow for publication, he must not have been too enamored of it?

[Opus106]

Don't throw it in the garbage bin, though; send it to me! 

Who said anything about throwing it away?!

Don't fret, if Mozart didn't "save" it somehow for publication, he must not have been too enamored of it?

Who cares if he liked it or not? Schubert put the 'Unfinished' Symphony in a drawer, forgot all about it and then died.

[North Star]

Who said anything about throwing it away?!

I just thought that you wouldn't need a set that isn't complete, and kindly offered to take care of the set. 

Who cares if he liked it or not? Schubert put the 'Unfinished' Symphony in a drawer, forgot all about it and then died.

Indeed, and he might have abandoned it for any number of reasons. Brahms destroyed a large amount of his own compositions (about 20 SQ's - there 3 published) - and some of Schumann's, too 

[Scion7]

Yes, he and Clara should not have destroyed Schumann's MS's - some of it might truly have been junk written after he'd gone bonkers, but they also suppressed his violin concerto - which with all its imperfections is a maaahvelous work.  I think they thought they were doing the right thing, but .....

[Leo K.]

REALLY enjoying this set of Brendel's Mozart.