Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 22 & 27

Review-capsulated

10/9 -Classics Today

Among the new issues from Philips honoring the 70th birthday of Alfred Brendel comes this new recording of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat K. 482, paired with No. 27 in B-flat K. 595. The big E-flat concerto's astounding and magisterial opening ritornello gets regal treatment from Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (an ensemble Brendel clearly enjoys working with), and the drama and nobility are deftly and powerfully matched by Brendel himself. A special and unique point of interest concerns the two cadenzas, both Brendel's own, which seem to show him as an ever more acerbic and provocative innovator. The cunning juxtapositioning of first and second subject themes from the opening allegro is gripping. Like Perahia (Sony), but especially Geza Anda (DG), whose account of K. 482 closely mirrors Brendel's view of the andante, the classical proportions and divertimento-like feel of those passages in which the soloist supports the winds is movingly intimate. The finale, too, is magnificently and spaciously done, and again Brendel's cadenza is ingenious.

It's tempting to suggest that this new version of K. 595 begins where Brendel's earlier Philips reading with Marriner and the Academy of St. Martins left off; but that's a major understatement, for Brendel's concept of the work has undergone radical overhaul. As with his earlier version he uses Mozart's own cadenzas, but the general outlook is more questioning and exploratory, with less of a sense of resignation in this valedictory--and most enigmatic--of Mozart concertos. In the opening allegro, Brendel highlights the unsettled chromaticism of the scoring more vividly than you've ever heard it before, teasing out every paradox and ironic aside with more wit than sadness at times--and the central larghetto also is done entirely without sentiment. The finale, again briskly played and wonderfully fluid, never seems to hint at finality, leaving you feeling Brendel has plenty more to say about this amazing work. Both accounts are exceptional, not just for the strength and vitality of Brendel's pianism, but also for the fertility of intellect that underlies these startlingly youthful and provocative interpretations.

--Classics Today

Read About This Recording

Alfred Brendel has performed Mozart's music for 50 years. With some artists, that statement could be an acknowledgement that the listener is probably better served by reaching back for the older recordings and listening to a younger, fresher artist attack Mozart. With Alfred Brendel, however, his desire to revisit old friends is driven by his love of creating new and original performances.

These performances find Brendel in a much more analytical mood, yet also a bit more expansive. His tempos are slower than his earlier performances of these works with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Yet the pianist is immune to the impact of the early music movement — his tempos and the orchestra do not attempt to create a rock and roll tempo or feel to the E-flat major (#22, a hidden gem). The tempos are sprightly without being downright fast.

Brendel's earlier performances of these piano concertos were made in Vienna and his complete recordings of Mozart's concertos helped a generation understand that Mozart meant what he said when he wrote that his favorite instrumental compositions were his piano concertos. These new performances are excellent guides to the lesser-known concertos.

Alfred Brendel's performances of Mozart — whether made 50 years ago, or last year — deserve to be heard. And these lovely and lesser-known works show that these two masters — Mozart and Brendel — are consistently rewarding.

—Ronald Gregory

Quotes

"10/9" —Classics Today

"The finale, again briskly played and wonderfully fluid, never seems to hint at finality, leaving you feeling Brendel has plenty more to say about this amazing work. Both accounts are exceptional, not just for the strength and vitality of Brendel's pianism, but also for the fertility of intellect that underlies these startlingly youthful and provocative interpretations." —Classics Today

Contents

Piano Concertos: No. 22 in E-flat Major, K482; No. 27 in B-flat Major, K595.

Alfred Brendel, Piano; Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Sir Charles Mackerras, Conductor.