Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Tadeusz Karolak, Viviana Sofronitzki :: Mozart: Complete Fortepiano Concertos [Box Set]

EXQUISITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

J. Poss | Pahrump, Nevada | 06/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Only rarely does an artist come along that is so marvelous with Mozart that you think that they must have been born to play Mozart. Viviana Sofronitzki is such an artist. This complete recording of Mozart's Fortepiano Concertos on original instruments is, by far, the best performance AND recording ever made of these works and I have them all on original instruments (as well as many on modern instruments). The other recordings I have on original instruments are as follows and I've made general comments about each one:



- Malcolm Bilson, John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloists - Great orchestra performance but Bilson's phrasing is awkward and the fortepiano not only sounds bad it is recorded too far away and gets drowned out by the orchestra too much.



- Robert Levin, Hogwood, Academy of Ancient Music - Good performances and recordings but not as good as Viviana's



- Steven Lubin, playing and conducting a small orchestra called the Mozartean Players (3-4 first violins and 3-4 second violins, etc.)- Excellent performances and recordings but not quite as good as Viviana's.



- Jos van Immerseel and his Anima Eterna orchestra - BORING and again the fortepiano is too far away compared to the orchestra.



- Patrick Cohen and Christopher Coin conducting the Ensemble Baroque de Limoges - Cohen is very good but the orchestra is not.



- Andreas Staier with the Concerto Koln - Excellent performance, but again not quite as good as Viviana's.



Viviana's set takes the crown. Her performances are energetic and emotionally involving. Her phrasing is exquisite and she is matched with a conductor and original instrument orchestra that make these works sound fresh with well chosen tempi and beautiful phrasing. Not only is the performance top notch but the recording is exquisitely beautiful with just the right amount of reverberation and balance among the instruments. For the first time since Steven Lubin's recording for the Arabesque label is the fortepiano properly balanced with the correct size orchestra (4 first violins, 4 second violins, 3 violas, 2 cellos, 1 string bass) so you can actually hear the fortepiano at a comfortable level compared to the orchestra. You don't have to strain to hear the fortepiano as in all the other recordings mentioned above (except Steven Lubin's). Not only is the orchestra and fortepiano well balanced but the winds are too, which have an earthy beauty to them. The strings have a lustrous sheen to their sound. Viviana plays on a fortepiano built by Paul McNulty after Anton Walter and it is the most beautiful fortepiano I've heard. This recording is so incredibly detailed as well. I recommend you get this set now before it's gone.

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