Mozart Gulda - The Gulda Mozart Tapes 10 Sonatas and a Fantasy (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

Priceless Gulda/Mozart

Oldnslow | Seattle, Washington USA | 11/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A fascinating take on the Mozart Sonatas. Very fiery, aggreessive, almost Beethoven-like playing of these well known sonatas. I especially liked the earlier, less well known sonatas. It's a shame K.310 in A-minor is not included, but I'm thrilled with what we have, and thank DG for making Gulda's Mozart available. Not to be missed. Gulda may have been eccentric, but he was a unique and important artist."

Robotic

Todd R. Peckarsky | Reston, VA United States | 06/21/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The master tapes from these 1981 recording sessions were never used in production, presumably not intended for public release by the pianist, and eventually disappeared. The CD set at hand--first release of these performances--was mastered from cassette tapes found in the estate of the balance engineer supervising the recordings. This background is provided only as preface to my sense that these recordings should not be judged too harshly as Gulda probably never intended that they be heard. The performances can be characterized as robotic, following the written score to a tee yet containing little emotion or interpretive insight. I love Gulda's earlier recordings--of Beethoven, Debussy, Ravel--and I love these sonatas--in the more emotive versions by Walter Klien and Daniel Barenboim, to name but two--but I strongly dislike Gulda's version of Mozart here. Three stars though for the flawless pianistic skill (not a wrong note to be heard), and the surprisingly strong sonic quality achieved from the cassette masters."

Astounding!

from California | USA | 09/06/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"An absolutely unique view on Mozart! how many times already Freidrich Gulda proved time and again that his feel for Mozart is 100% unmistakable and in this compilation the sheer power of style, sense of time and conviction of a great Master are hard to overestimate. Of course, this is not Mozart that pleases all ears (read amateurish and arrogant review by Todd R. Peckarsky), but for real professional musicians and music lovers this is a revelation since who said that Mozart should be "pleasing" to the ear? After hearing dozens of sweetened up Mozart piano works by pianists like A. Schiff, M. Perahia, even E. Gilels and M. Uchida, or willful and over-personalized versions by Horowitz and Cherkassky...listening to the purity and naturalness of this Gulda's reading is a pure luxury and enjoyment!! Bravo's to Deutsche Grammophon for doing that."

Bravo Gulda!

N. Nera | Toronto, Canada | 04/10/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the most thrilling recorded performances of Mozart's piano sonatas I have ever heard, and I've listened to so many. There's nothing 'robotic' about these performances, as one reviewer wrote, certainly a misunderstanding of what Gulda achieved here. Mozart does not always have to be sweet and light, like in many other recordings of these sonatas. Fortunately, Mozart is a lot more than that. What Gulda achieved here is something that many recorded performances do not have: full of life, direct, and simple. There is no self-conscious playing here or exaggeration. And with an uncanny sense of rhythmic propulsion, Gulda's playing of these sonatas is riveting(just listen to the 3rd movt. of K. 283). Often, his playing is virtuosic, which is something that may come as a surprise to anyone not familiar with these sonatas or see them as easy to play(which they're not). Gulda successfully brings out the virtuosic elements in these sonatas. As to cantabile, Gulda projects singing lines with utmost simplicity, and yet so beautifully. There is magic in his playing, which compels one to listen to these sonatas over and over again. Certainly, this set, although incomplete, is one of the best available. I warmly recommend it."

I Love These Recordings!

Warstub | 01/16/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have Brendel, I have Uchida, I have Gould and Ciccolini even, but none are such a pure joy to listen to as Gulda! I've always enjoyed Brendel's Mozart, and Uchida's Concertos with Tate are very good indeed, but when it comes to the sonatas, Gulda plays them with such spirit and gusto that the music finally comes alive in a way that I thought I was never going to experience. Some may say he's heavy handed, but I bet Mozart never played these pieces light-handed himself; Ciccolini is interesting but a little slow at times which doesn't always compliment his own heavy-handedness; Here Gulda brings the tempos up slightly (but not as quick as Brendel) allowing the music to pulse and jive under his fingers.

The recording is mastered quite high, much higher that most classical recordings, so you may find that the single piano on these recordings has a similar volume level as a full orchestra on other recordings."

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