Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Leif Ove Andsnes :: Mozart: Piano Concertos 17 & 20

BIG Mozart!

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 05/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I suppose an orchestra of hundreds would be barely powerful enough to play ball with Leif Andsnes, the ruling dynamo of the piano. I hardly know what to say about this performance of quaint little Rococo Amadeus by such a Wehrmacht of music, except that it's maximally polished and acoustically thrilling. Frankly I prefer to hear Andsnes play Brahms and I look forward to his assault on Prokofiev some day. In his favor, he plays these compositions for fortepiano (a different beast from our piano forte) with great sensitivity to the difference of touch that a fortepiano would have provided. Dry, in short. Crisp, with as much music to be heard between the notes as in them. I guess I respect this performance more than I like it. The used price is mighty attractive, and this CD might be a fine introduction to the most athletic pianist in the world today, especially if you are familiar with other recordings of the same music, for comparison."

Enhanced, but may not be playable in your CD player

Roderick Keech | Australia | 01/08/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These are two excellent perfomances by Leif ove Andsnes and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, which I heard a little of on the excellent DVD 'In search of Mozart' In Search of Mozart. Here is a fascinating combination of period instrument style playing on modern-day instruments. As both pianist and conductor, Andsnes brings his natural elegance to these much recorded works, yet, as always, manages to imbue them with his own distinctive touch. To those who like their Mozart played in a less adventurous way, this may be an acquired taste, but to me it gave new life to these oft recorded concertos.



I liked these interpretations so much I purchased a copy and to my dismay it wouldn't play in my Denon SACD player. I phoned Denon who told me it didn't meet the criteria/specifications of a standard CD, just like DualDiscs © don't, and therefore would not be playable on any Denon player. I then spoke with the Sales Manager of EMI who agreed that some of their Copy Protection software had been more trouble than it was worth. In the case of this disc, it was not Copy Protection, but EMI's 'Opendisc' to EMI's Classics Club. Apparently if you insert the CD into your computer you will have access to bonus material etc, but in this case it affects its playability in some players.



Most CD players are more forgiving than Denon, and I found that my friend was playing it successfully in his high-end Pioneer CD player. So, just be prepared for potential problems. EMI in the Netherlands, who author nearly all of EMI's classical catalogue, have been notified of the problem, and will hopefully modify the specifications of this disc in future pressings.



Only buy this CD if your seller will accept it back because it won't play due to the specifications.



5 stars for the always elegant and thoughtful playing of Mr Andsnes

0 stars to the Sales Manager of EMI Australia who couldn't give a toss

1 star for the unfortunate CD specifications"

Good but not great Mozart interpretations

Ivor E. Zetler | Sydney Australia | 12/27/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"While I enjoyed Andsnes's Haydn Piano Concerto CD immensely, his Mozart playing is on a less elevated plane. Contrary to Haydn's piano compositions, ideal Mozart is performed by a very small number of pianists. While all the notes are present and correct, to my ears Andsnes fails to adequately capture the spirituality, joy, playfulness and gravity (particularly in Concerto No 20) of Mozart's music. "Somewhat earthbound" would be my best words to encapsulate my reaction to these performances. Listening to Rudolf Serkin/Szell and Murray Perahia in Concerto No 17 as well as Curzon/Britten in No 20, one hears how magical, soaring and magnificent this music can sound in the hands of masters of the Mozartian art.



Andsnes plays and conducts; the accompaniment from the modestly scaled Norwegian Chamber Orchestra is good and the sound quality is warm and realistic. Good but not great Mozart."