Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Paul Badura-Skoda :: Mozart: Sonates pour le pianoforte, K533/494, K545, K570, K576

A keyboard's master

Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 06/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Badura Skoda is a poet, I mean a creator far beyond his performer's role. He always is seeking the hidden intention behind the score. He has recorded more than 250 albums in vynil, so consider the transfered albums to CD represents , at about just a twelve per cent.

So the Paul Badura hard fans are expecting, for instance with anxiety one historical recording live in Carnegie Hall in 1956 for celebrate the 200 birthday of Mozart.

But back to this recording, we must remember that Mozart has been one beloved inspiration for Badura Skoda, he has published several essays about Amadeus. He has arranged a cadenza for the ninth piano, and this arrangement was played by Ashkenazy with Kertesz conducting.

Don't forget the tradition behind the teachers of Badura Skoda, he was a pupil of Edwin Fisher, that fact is very interesting due in Mozart, you must be very careful. The notes must fall progressively and avoid the forte or the pianissimos, that point is a powerful challenge for all pianist who wants win in a succesful recording.

If you analyze with detail, you keep in mind that the austriac , french and brittish schools have produced the most recognized champions performers in Mozart. Let's do a simple account of some of the most remarkable players in Mozart. Lili Kraus, Clara Haskill, Edwin Fisher, Horszkowski, Curzon, Barenboim, Badura Skoda, Gulda and Andras Schiff .

There are many players winners from other countries, the most remarkable players in Mozart actually are Andras Schiff,Daniel Barenboim and Maria Joao Pires, however there's a raising promise. Arkadi Volodos who well may be in this reduced list, in few years.

Badura Skoda let the Mozart piano music breathes,and floats, you must keep avoid give an approach neo romantic because it would sound Haydinesque, Mozart is a hard challenge because as Beethoven and Schubert don't accept any previous approach. Is Mozart, Beethoven or Schubert classical composers? they are who they are, unique.

Nowadays it seem prevail the concept of underestimate these concepts , and overshow the technique above all the rest of the elements. If you ignore the intention behind the score and not studying the effect of sound, you would commit the same mistake of assuming the special accents and modulation in the teather when you play Moliere or Shakespeare. Every composer or author has his own characters, space and span when you're performing them .

With this album Badura Skoda holds the essential sense of every one of these last sonatas. And this album in this sense is a real triumph. Badura Skoda knows to exhibit the golden sound , the clear sound without being fragile, the rapture without melodramatic expresion.

Buy this album. You'll always be rewarded ."

Mozart sonatas played on a mozart piano

T. Kletz | United Kingdom | 08/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Very enjoyable and well-played on a piano made during Mozart's lifetime, so much so that I have since bought the set of six CDs in which Badura-Skoda plays the whole of Mozart's piano sonatas. Very good value for money."