Search - Clara Haskil, Mozart :: Great Pianists 43

Haskil's Mozart Rejuvenated

11/18/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a wonderful album. No one plays Mozart like Haskil. This collection is packed full of some of her best piano concerto recordings, many of which are out of print in their previous editions. The sound is distinctly improved in many of them, especially the earlier Philips recordings with Markevitch. I still have a soft spot in my heart for her d-minor concerto (No. 20) with Swoboda (Enterprise), but there is no comparison in sound to the present version. For me, this is the very best version available of the d minor, perhaps Mozart's darkest and most serious concerto."

One of the greatest performances of Mozart piano concertos

cesar | 12/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As usual with a young person who tends to judge pianists by virtuosity, I could not find Haskil's Mozart appealing about ten years ago. At that time she sounded a bit intimidated and her techniques sounded weak for me, as I loved energetic and aggressive performances much more than now.
But, as I grew somewhat older and collected many Mozart piano concertos recordings (I have been a bit obsessed with these never-boring concertos for recent years), finally I understood why she has been regarded as one of the truly greatest pianists for many years.
Still, it is hard for me to put why she is so superb, because basically she does not do anything special or original while playing.
But I think that is why she is so original. Her tempo setting is always just right, and each tone produced by her extremely flexible hands exhibits subtle beauty. Flow of music is so natural and never sounds either artificial or self-conscious. Also she is never indulgent just with tone prettiness or warmth. I feel unfathomable emotional depth at times, even though seemingly she is still doing nothing special.
As for her technical aspects that once I thought weak, I am now able to find that she has such a set of flexible and deft fingers. In particular, her left hand sounds inherently endowed with true dexterity. If you still think that her techniques are weak, please listen to a brilliant cadenza in the first movement of the twenty-fourth concerto where her technical virtues are easily recognizable.
Without any doubt, this recording is at the top of numerous Mozart piano concertos recordings and will keep its status forever."

Some of Haskil's Finest Mozart

Jeffrey Lipscomb | Sacramento, CA United States | 04/03/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Clara Haskil was a remarkably poetic pianist. Her playing of Mozart's concertos had an intense spirituality and emotional depth, especially when a like-minded conductor was at the helm. That's certainly what can be heard here under Rudolf Baumgartner (#13), Bernhard Paumgartner (the lovely Rondo in A), Paul Sacher (#23), and Ferenc Fricsay (#27).



Haskil's #13 here is my all-time favorite reading. Baumgartner, perhaps better known for his many fine Bach recordings, is a most sensitive collaborator. He uses Mozart's alternate version for strings only, which seems to enhance the over-all feeling of intimacy in this work.



Paumgartner, a distinguished Mozartean, provides a wonderful partnership with Haskil in the Rondo. On early Epic LPs, Paumgartner also gave us a superb set of the Mozart violin concertos with Arthur Grumiaux (who in turn recorded some excellent Mozart violin/piano sonatas with Haskil). I still prefer those concertos to Grumiaux's later stereo accounts with Colin Davis.



Perhaps the highlight of this entire set is the sublime account of #23 under the Swiss conductor Paul Sacher, who also recorded #9 with Haskil on Epic LP (unfortunately not included here). Sacher was a major figure in 20th Century music (Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta was dedicated to him), and he was the only conductor who died a richer man than Herbert von Karajan (Sacher married an heiress to the Hoffman-LaRoche pharmaceutical empire and died a billionaire). In #23, Haskil and Sacher are wonderfully in sync throughout: a magically lyrical 1st mvt., a serenely beautiful slow mvt., and a sprightly finale, with some lively wind playing (especially by the principal bassoon). This is one of my 3 favorite readings, along with the Kempff/Leitner on DG (arguably the finest of Kempff's stereo recordings) and a long-forgotten Supraphon LP with Helene Boschi and the Czech Phil. under Alois Klima. For me, Haskil's 23rd Concerto by itself more than justifies the purchase of this set.



In the 27th concerto (also available on DG coupled with the Haskil/Fricsay #19), Fricsay is an excellent partner. This is a performance of enormous subtlety - Haskil is at her most ruminative - and it's one of my two favorite accounts, along with Boegner/Ristenpart on MHS LP.



I am not quite so taken with the readings of #20 and #24 under Markevitch, whose aggressive, rather muscular conducting doesn't mesh that well with Haskil's more lyrical style (most noticeably in the 20th). #20 was one of the staples of Haskil's repertoire, and she left several recordings, both studio and "live," that are preferable to this one under Markevitch. Her DG Westminster CD account with Swoboda has some scrappy orchestral playing, but at least the conductor is attuned to Haskil's wavelength (it's coupled with Haskil's lovely Scarlatti sonatas). Her live recording with Munch/BSO on M&A is somewhat better: it's coupled with Haskil's delightful account of #9 under Otto Ackermann. Right now, my favorite Haskil #20 is probably her live recording with Paul Hindemith on a different M&A CD (coupled with Haskil's dazzling performance of Hindemith's Theme & Variations "The Four Temperaments" under the composer's direction). Other readings of #20 that I treasure include the Lefebure/Furtwangler on Ermitage, and Edwin Fischer in the double role of pianist/conductor (Philips). For #24, I still prefer Fischer's live account with the Danish Chamber Orchestra (coupled on an M&A CD with the finest #22 I have ever heard), and Hungarian pianist Sari Biro's tender account with Wilhelm Loibner (on an old Remington LP).



Apparently now deleted, this 2-disc set was recently selling for as little as $9.98 elsewhere on the Internet.



Quibbles aside, this set is a wonderful tribute to a very great pianist.















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