Search - Mozart, Anda, Barenboim :: Piano Concerti 1-27

Still One Of The Finest Mozart Piano Concerto Cycles

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 05/04/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anda's Mozart piano concerto cycle was the first to be recorded almost in its entirety by one soloist and orchestra. It was also the first to have the orchestra under the soloist's direction. Recorded over the span of several years, these performances still sound quite vividly clear and crisp. The sound quality on these recordings is absolutely first rate. Credit is due to Deutsche Grammophon's recording engineers; these are some of the label's best recordings from the 1960's. As a soloist, Anda gives introspective readings of Mozart's scores which lack the exuberance of Daniel Barenboim's performances with the English Chamber Orchestra, but are as polished as Alfred Brendel's with the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields under Sir Neville Marriner's direction. Most noteworthy are his performances of the 14th, 17th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 26th and 27th concerti, but the others sound fine too. Those looking for a relatively inexpensive set of Mozart piano concerti won't be disappointed with Anda's cycle."

...and second rate reviewers

Wayne A. | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 02/02/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those a bit astonished and depressed by the curt dismissal of Mozart's genius in the review below--largely, I gather, because the composer did not equate profundity with tonnage--please note that the same reviewer gave a rave review to, of all things, Wilhelm Furtwangler's Second Symphony--a tedious work that has been on artificial life support now for over fifty years solely due to the magic of that conductor's name. Knocking Mozart (and Beethoven, and Bach, and Wagner, and Brahms in turn) is a recurring fad that crops up during eras when the citizenry get uppity about their betters (largely due to ignorance or inattention) or become all bedazzled by superficialities.



I am reminded of a famous comment by Donald Francis Tovey in regard to the 19th century critic Hanslick, and I paraphrase:



"I have read Hanslick's collected works patiently and have not found either in his patronage of Brahms or his attacks on Wagner...any knowledge of anything whatsoever. Hanslick's writings represent one of the unlovelier forms of parasitism; that which having the wealth to collect objets d'art and the birth and education to talk amusingly does not itself attempt a stroke of artistic work, does not dream of revising a first impression, experiences the fine arts entirely as the pleasures of a gentleman, and then pronounces judgement as if the expression of its opinion were a benefit and duty to society"



Thankfully the reviewer seemed to miss the fact that this set is out of print and has been reissued in a newer cheaper incarnation accompanied by rave reviews. Head to that!



One last thing, what would be fun and edifying is to have someone like Peter Schickele do a version of Mozart's 40th symphony as if written by Anton Bruckner.







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