Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Andreas Staier :: Mozart: Piano sonatas K330, 331 'alla turca', 332 /Staier

A new standard for Mozart piano performance

A music lover | Fremont, CA | 06/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First the essential information: This performance is on a period fortepiano, not a modern instrument. This performance is not always "pretty", but often percussive and dynamic. Also, Mr. Staier chooses to add ornamentation that is not in the manuscript but is in accordance with the style and practice of the 18th century.



Still interested? I hope so, because if you miss this, you will miss a very exciting performance of 3 of Mozart's finest works. Not for the faint of heart or those who insist that Mozart always sound beautiful. There certainly are moments of beauty, and poignancy, but there is also fire. Mozart played as the logical precursor to Beethoven. Frankly, I've never completely been won over by Mozart's piano sonatas. There always seemed to be something lacking, a feeling of them being almost, but not quite, perfect. This performance has convinced me that they are indeed masterworks. Staier's choice of ornamentation is both tasteful and exciting, with an improvisatory feeling that adds to the almost operatic, vocal quality of the melodic line. Of course, these choices are "frozen" on disc and lose that improvisatory feel somewhat on repeated listenings, but overall I prefer this approach to a more "straight" reading. Staier doesn't shy away from dynamic contrasts, either, at some points sounding as though he is pushing the instrument to its breaking point. But it works very well. This is a clear contender for recording of the year, along with Ronald Brautigam's exciting fortepiano performances of Beethoven Sonatas on the Bis label."