Essential Mozart
R. Williams | Los Angeles, CA United States | 03/31/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As a reviewer on another piece noted, the modern world seems bent on presenting Mozart as the wunderkind (Tom Hulce playing him like a Martin Short character from SCTV in 'Amadeus' may have had *something* to do with it). Anyway, this was the disc that opened my mind up to another view of Mozart. I wouldn't call it masculine, but rather, deep, brooding, emotional and above all monstrously convincing: these pieces and the fantastic playing on this disc will make you realize that Mozart was not just a huge influence on Romantic music, but that he deserves more credit than he's gotten for the emergence of the deeply personal, individualistic styles of the 19th C. The Fm Fantasia was a revelation worthy of the purchase price, if you haven't heard that piece."
Tasty
Sam Bloop | 06/14/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"At first listen a Mozart concerto can just zip by without grabbing too much attention. I bought this after discovering a first real interest in the piano concertos while listening to Perahia play the 27th. Finally the music came into its own for me. In that piece it was the spritely and off-hand quality of the phrasing that lit up the opening movement. A key part of getting into the concertos seems to be in somehow unlocking and catching the lifeblood in the melodic line of the pieces.On this disc the undoubted highlight is the first Concerto for 2 pianos. Having the additional soloist sets the simplest little extra bounce to the writing. The slight differences in Lupu and Perahia's playing coupled with their mutual understanding brings this out magically. The writing of the Andante is even more special for the way it changes the mode between the two pianos. I still don't go for a lot of the slow movements in the other concertos - but oh the Andante in this one! The finale is a great example of how well Perahia, Lupu, and the ECO pace their playing.The rest of the pieces on the album go well together but don't contain quite the vitality of K. 365. Nevertheless for anyone with even just a partial appetite for Wolfgang Amadeus won't want to miss out on this slice of the oeuvre."
Mozart: Music for 2 and 3 Pianos
C. Misik | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | 11/04/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wow...this is a wondeful recording, plain and simple.
If you haven't listened to the Fanatsia in F minor, originally for mechanical organ, then this is the recording to commence doing so with. This is a fantasic rendition of this piece, full of the darkness that must have pervaded Mozart's final years.
The finale of the E-flat Concerto K365 is also a one-of-a-kind showpiece with wonderful dialogue between the 2 pianos.
Highly recommend this recording as the very best available of the pieces it contains."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1
