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Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 22 & 27
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 22 & 27
Genre: Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (6) - Disc #1

With these two Mozart piano concertos, Alfred Brendel comes full circle. Gone are the days of pounding out Beethoven's "Hammerklavier"--back trouble has seen to that--and the late Schubert sonatas are now, after their triu...  more »

     
   
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CD Details

All Artists: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Alfred Brendel
Title: Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 22 & 27
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 1
Label: Philips Import
Original Release Date: 1/1/2001
Re-Release Date: 5/1/2001
Album Type: Import
Genre: Classical
Styles: Chamber Music, Forms & Genres, Concertos, Historical Periods, Classical (c.1770-1830), Instruments, Keyboard
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 028946836729

Synopsis

Amazon.com
With these two Mozart piano concertos, Alfred Brendel comes full circle. Gone are the days of pounding out Beethoven's "Hammerklavier"--back trouble has seen to that--and the late Schubert sonatas are now, after their triumphant release in early 2001, safely on their way. Brendel has now gone back to the expressive simplicity of Mozart's own farewell. The 27th concerto, Mozart's last for the piano, was written after three years of abject, mendicant poverty, yet to listen to its radiant finale here--played as though there wasn't a cloud in the sky--you'd never credit such a desperate provenance. In these new recordings, Brendel's lifelong pursuit of an orchestral richness of tone is beautifully vindicated: the woodwind colors Charles Mackerras extracts from his players find their perfect pianistic echo here. And when, in the second movement of K. 482, the strings come across in funereal darkness, Brendel has an appropriate answer for that, too. Pellucid without a trace of preciousness, these performances are in every respect flawless, and Brendel's own cadenzas manage to tickle the ear without disrupting the nobility of Mozart's dialogue. --Michael Church

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CD Reviews

Truly exceptional CD
Bruce E. Maryanoff | New Hope, PA USA | 12/09/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD blew me away! It contains two outstanding performances delivered with exquisite artistry. The sonics are spectacular --very detailed and airy, with great balance (intense!). The engineering is outstanding. (I did not expect to get such audiophile quality.) This CD has, in a word, "dimensionality".



I have always loved No. 22 and Brendel has delivered a magnificent rendition of it. The first movement is stately and the second movement ... well, simply to die for. His work is nicely integrated into the orchestra, which is also superb. Brendel brought some novel nuances to this piece, and I could relate immediately to his presentation of the cadenzas. (Sometimes, when you are used to a certain way, it is difficult to accept a new one; not so here.) Notably, I gained a new appreciation for No. 27 because of the way it is presented here. I was particularly impressed with the first movement ... totally. The vivaciousness and playfulness of the third movement come across nicely. There is great virtuosity in the playing and the interpretation of both concertos. Brendel performs here with elegance, power, and subtlety, in proper proportions, as well as with keen insight."
Another Great CD of Brendel's View Of Mozart Piano Concertos
John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 11/24/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Brendel's latest travesal of Mozart's 22nd and 27th Piano Concertos is a dynamic, invigorating set of performances. Brendel's playing is simply sublime, replete with elegance and warmth. Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra provide ample support, with Mackerras drawing out the right orchestral textures to accompany Brendel's exquisite performances. Brendel's playing seems a bit more refined than his earlier traversal with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields ensemble; I honestly wonder whether Brendel is at work at yet another series of recordings of virtually all of Mozart's piano concertos. Hopefully, that is indeed the case."
Brendel is one of the great Mozart pianists...
John Kwok | 05/22/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"...and he shows why here.Brendels LATEST Mozart records... his newer ones is even better than before because of more distinct, secure play... Brendel means Mozart "business" on this one :-) like he also do on his no. 20 and his Mozart sonata disc from this year.Brendel is simply one of the best Mozart pianists ever.Brendel togheter with Mackerras and Scottish Chamber orchestra has something to do with his improvement on his latest Mozart piano concert discs, I think, and they all play marvellous on this one so its a great conductor too on it and other great muscisians in this orchestra.Sound is very good and you cant go wrong with this if you like to have a piano concerto record by Mozart without "Elvira Madigan" (Andante on Mozart piano concerto no 21).No 20, 21, 22 (22 is on this disc) and 25 is in my opinion Mozarts greatest but no 27 (27 is on this disc) is not bad either :-)In sum... a very good well played Mozart piano concerto disc probably lasting a lifetime."