Search - Prague Chamber Orchestra, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Martino Tirimo :: Mozart: Piano Concertos No. 16 K451 & No. 24 K491

Martino Tirimo, Prague ChambOrch: Mozart P Ctos 16 & 24: A D

Dan Fee | Berkeley, CA USA | 09/23/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This reading of two Mozart piano concertos, numbers 16 and 24, remind me of decanting a fine, dry bottle of really good Champagne that has been sitting in the pantry awaiting its suitable occasion.



Tirimo is a thoroughly musical player who is quite a bit less well known in USA than his obvious gifts merit. On this outing he is accompanied superbly by those other famous Mozarteans who also don't appear much in USA, the Prague Chamber Orchestra. I first fell in love with PCO when I heard them backing up Josef Suk's richly elegant set of all the Mozart violin concertos. Then heard them again, backing up Vienna's Paul Badura-Skoda on some very fine piano concertos. Then heard them again, partnered with Olympian finesse, depth and brilliance in the person of famed Czech pianist Ivan Moravec. Then really heard lots of them in Sir Charles Mackerras complete Telarc set of all the Mozart symphonies.



If any band has demonstrated its Mozart chops, surely PCO is ranked. Tirimo is fortunate to have them as his band on this disc. I've liked PCO before, but this time out they sound even more involved and fluent than ever before. The tone is warm in all band departments, and ensemble leaves out nothing a listener could want, even in these Mozart accompaniments.



The really big 24th concerto, K. 491, starts the disc. Tirimo's phrasing, touch, articulation are cleaner and drier, if such a thing is possible, than even Wilhelm Kempff in his Mozart concertos. This would threaten to become a false mannerism if Tirimo had not already lived long and well with his Mozart. He doesn't need much pedal because his tone is cool, limpid, and makes a very strong case for playing Mozart on the modern grand piano, whatever the period instrument fortepiano players might claim. Since pedal is sparing, Tirimo makes his intentions known in each and every phrase of the concerto.



Then we get the 16th concerto. It sounds a big larger than usual, perhaps since the 24th has already prepared a listener for just how fleet yet imposing Tirimo's sense of Mozart's genius is. As the fizz of Tirimo's Mozartean involvement bubbles out, the tang of melodies floods dry and crisp, then blooms into complex notes of fruit-nut-berry, all natural elements, just before the last surprise moments of a weightless, airy tonal epiphany. Or something else, uncommonly fine yet effervescent.



A word about Tirimo's cadenzas. The disc booklet lists no credit; I assume Tirimo is playing his own inventions. Now, even very fine Mozart players can fall down a bit when it comes to their concerto improvisations. Especially on a disc that will be played, repeatedly. Tirimo finds his own ways in the cadenzas; yet without bizarre modernist or late romantic era jolts, or meandering overly in the direction of Beethoven yet to arrive. His style of playing in these cadenzas fits right in, with his overall way with Mozart. And thus, these cadenzas must be judged winning or successful, just as the rest of the reading is.



Happily, a second companion disc of two more piano concertos is also available. On that one, Tirimo and PCO do handsomely with the 22nd and 20th concertos. Bravo, Regis for making both discs available again.



If I win a big lottery prize in the next drawing or two or three or four, this magical combination of Tirimo and Prague is my choice to record the next big complete Mozart concertos set; and since in this fantasy world I am executive producing on my own dime, super audio surround high resolution sound is taken for granted. Meanwhile, a augury of imaginary things to come, Five stars. Simply amazing Mozart."