Walter O. Koenig | San Diego, California, USA | 02/04/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For the complete collection of Mozart's Piano Concertos I chose this one. I will admit that I listen to mostly No's 8, 17, 19, 22-27 (22 & 23 are superb. No. 22 rocks! ) most of the time. But I listen to the other discs also, and I can tell you they are all excellent. I listen to these nowadays while writing in the mornings and they are great companions....If you're serious about the Concertos, then this collection is just right for you. Brendel is on the mark almost all the time, (I own six performances of No.20 for example, and his cadenzas are the best) and Mariner and the Academy, well, I almost hate to admit it, they are better than anybody else I have heard in this type of collection. --- Email me if you find a better collection ! Mozart never ceases to amaze me."
"This is music from heaven. All the wonderful Piano Concertos are here on twelve discs. All are excellent. The Piano playing of Alfred Brendel is superb and the Orchestra with Neville Mariner is also very good. I like the most No. 8, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25. They are beautiful to listen to. It is the work and inspiration of a genius, just like me, ha ha ha. If you want to go to heaven without leaving your House, then listen to this music."
Excellent survey -- but you pick the format
John Grabowski | USA | 02/26/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"For a full-blown review of the works on this set, see my review of the Mozart Complete Piano Concertos Boxed Set, which you can find easily by doing an Amazon search using the words "Mozart Marriner Brendel" and which shows the facade of a building with sky behind it on the cover. (What they has to do with Mozart I don't know.) That is exactly the same set as this, only re-released in a thinner, space-saving box format with the discs in paper sleeves. The above set is the original incarnation, in a larger "brick" box with plastic cases and different liner notes. This set is about five inches thick, vs. the 1.5 inches for the reissue box. The liner notes are better here--there are two essays, and one is by Brendel himself, along with photos of the participants. The booklet in the newer boxed set has a very generic essay on the concertos with no commentary from Brendel and no photos. The music sounds the same, and is presented in the same order. Your choice--if you have space limitations on your bulging shelves you'll want the other box. If space is not a concern and the price is cheaper here, goes with this issue. Either way you'll get a very fine overview of the piano concertos, well-played but not always the most memorable. You'll definitely want to round out your favorites with other great recordings."