Search - Recorded Sound, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Cord Garben :: Mozart: Klavierkonzerte Nos. 13 & 15

HIMSELF

DAVID BRYSON | Glossop Derbyshire England | 07/27/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Whoever Michelangeli is playing, I am always very conscious that he is being played by Michelangeli. Where the composer's inspiration 'clicks' with M's you get some unique marvels. On this record you get some unique Mozart, and whether you will like the uniqueness is not something I can predict. There is nothing wilful or eccentric in these interpretations, indeed they are studiously correct, but my feeling is that Michelangeli understands Mozart intellectually rather than by instinct. In K415 his speeds are very deliberate in the outer movements, and when you hear his slightly ponderous handling of the first theme you will probably have a good idea whether you are going to enjoy the performance or not. For a comparison I played my Brendel record, and my own reaction surprised me. Brendel is distinctly livelier throughout, he is far more of a natural Mozart stylist than M is, and the whole account is exemplary except that I find his tone rather monochrome. What is missing is the numinous quality that makes Mozart who and what he is, and I actually prefer Michelangeli. However -- my strongest feeling was a great desire and curiosity to hear the piece played by Curzon or Serkin.Or maybe Solomon. Together with an earlier performance by M himself, (with the 'Pomeriggi Musicali' whoever they are), the other account of K450 that I own is by Solomon. He is nowhere near such an accomplished pianist as Brendel let alone Michelangeli, but this performance has some -- I can imagine a lot more, but some -- of the hard-to-pinpoint magic that makes a great Mozart performance for me. Michelangeli again takes very steady speeds in the outer movements, slower than Solomon and in the first movement very much slower than his own very attractive earlier version which is not amazingly well recorded but quite listenable. And then suddenly in the last bars of the piece the miracle happens and you will hear a completely awesome sound of the kind that makes M the incomparable phenomenon that he is. He was one of the most original pianists there can ever have been, and I suspect strongly the most accomplished of all."

5 Stars On Every Score

BLee | HK | 10/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
The orchestra is great, of the level of either BPO and VPO and the pianist is simply supreme, with a most staggering command of the keyboard, prefect phrasing, amazing control of his tone... Michelangeli's readings are interesting too, there are plenty of music even behind the lines. With a full top-notched orchestra the result is very impressive: dramatic and forceful and rather poetic. The recorded sound is great too, it captured the tone of the piano rather well and the sense of presence give us an impression that it is really a 3 dimensional recording.



It is, however, more a Teutonic than a Viennese reading. Edwin Fischer might be more spontaneous, and Haskil more mercurial, but neither could stop me from coming back Michelangeli time and again. 5 stars on whatever score."