Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, David Juritz, Howard Shelley :: Mozart: Piano Concertos No. 9 K271, No. 17 K453

Exquisitely done in good sound but perhaps not the final wor

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 08/02/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'd read much about pianist Howard Shelley -- mainly in the English press -- and never heard him perform before buying this disk of Mozart concertos 9 and 17. I sought a new recording of the Concerto 17 and liked the pairing here.



I think kudos are due pianist Shelley and possibly more than that is due the London Mozart Players (David Juritz, leader) for their inspired play and the way they follow the lead of Shelley, who conducts from the piano.



Shelley has a wonderful tone and his technique is faultless. His shimmering slow movements are a perfrect foil to the high energy he provides in allegros. His tone is always bright and full, as good as it can be on a modern grand piano. The Mozart Players are fully with him all the way, all the time, and play with much gusto.



Shelley is a better conductor from the keyboard than most soloists that conduct their own recordings. There is typically a tendency to gloss over important solo parts in the orchestral tutti from virtuosos turned conductor. Not here, for evey important part in the orchestra is well-played and you can always hear it without the solo line being affected.



In addtion, Chandos' sound is truthful and full, bright without being overlit, with depth that mimics what you would hear in the best concert hall.



I don't count failures on this 1991 recording, which earned a three star rating in the Penguin Guide and arrived at my home with a stamp on the cover saying it was a three star selection in the Penguin Guide. What I will fault, though, is my disinterest in the Mozartian style taken by the soloist.



My main point of disinterest is the amount of pedal used by the soloist and the way it vibrates through the recording venue and recording itself. I thought this was simply too much of a romantic technique. The relative beauty of tone and sound is another fault line that produced a temblor for me. I am not akin to hearing such beautiful Mozart...Mozart patterned after Chopin.



My idea of appropriate Mozart is the way Brendel did the Concerto 17 in 1959 for his Vox Box recordings. I also enjoy the complete set of Mozart concertos by Rudolf Buchbinder. What these Germans have in common is a simpler, more pedal free and down to earth approach that lets me hear Mozart think.



This CD, by contast, gives you a lot of audio stimuli that, I believe, lets you know more about how Shelley feels about the music. If this sounds like something that appeals to you, then you will go ga-ga over this CD.



As my 4 star rating suggests, it is an above average performance by any standard, exceptionally well supported by the orchestra, and more than exceptionally well directed by the soloist, who may be a better conductor than pianist. Good notes fill out this package."