RECORDING OF THE MONTH RECORDING OF THE MONTH BARGAIN OF THE MONTH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS A London Symphony Oboe Concerto £11 post free World-wide RACHMANINOV Elegy, Preludes, Piano concerto 3 £12 post free World-wide CHAUSSON, DEBUSSY RACHMANINOV TRios 2CDs £16 post free World-wide

BARGAIN OF THE MONTH

BUY NOW  Crotchet   AmazonUK   AmazonUS

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Piano Sonatas, Fantasias and Rondos CD 1 [73:09] Sonatas in G, K.283, A, K.331, F, K.332, B flat, K.333 Rec. 9-11 December 1989 CD 2 [65:00] Sonatas in B flat, K.281, E flat, K.282, C, K.545, D, K.284 Rec. 26-29 June 1990 CD 3 [70:39] Sonatas in C, K.309, A minor, K.310, D, K.311, C, K.330 Rec. 27 August 1990 (K.309), 7-9 September 1989 (K.310, K.311), 5 August 1991 (K.330) CD 4 [73:38] Sonata in C, K.279, Fantasia in D minor, K.397, Sonata in F, K.280, Rondo in D, K.485, Fantasia in C minor, K.475, Sonata in C minor, K.457 Rec. 21-24 and 27 August 1990 CD 5 [67:29] Sonatas in F, K.533, B flat, K.570, D, K.576, Rondo in A minor, K.511 Rec. 8-9 November 1990 (K. 533, K.570), 6-7 March 1991 (K. 576, K.511) Alicia de Larrocha (piano) Recorded at the American Academy Institute of Arts and Letters, New York City (K.330), University Music School Concert Hall, Cambridge, England (K. 310, K.311), all others in BMG Studio A, New York City, dates as above BMG CLASSICS RCA RED SEAL 82876-55705-2 [5 CDs]

These discs are gathered together as originally coupled; the opportunity might have been taken to regroup the sonatas chronologically. Maybe only a critic is going to listen to so much music in a few days, but I suggest that the small effort required to listen to the whole series in chronological order is worth making, both for Mozart himself and for Alicia de Larrocha. She sets her credentials in the earliest sonata, K.279; unforced tempi in the outer movements countered by fingerwork that bubbles with vivacity, an absolute minimum use of pedal, crisp, often detached articulation, though each single note has a warm, rounded tone, and middle movements kept well on the move. I wondered if her manner was not closer to Scarlatti than to Mozart at times, or at any rate very conscious of the music’s fortepiano origins. Might a spot more latent romanticism be drawn from the Andante of K.283 without losing sight of the style? Might the Andante cantabile con espressione of the A minor Sonata (of which the outer movements are superb) expand just a shade more? I am very glad that I listened to the whole cycle chronologically before giving more definite voice to these criticisms, for I now see that de Larrocha has deliberately interpreted the early group of Sonatas (Kk.279-284) in a more fortepiano manner, evidently believing that the true Mozartian voice is still emerging and that we should remember their roots in earlier composers. The Adagio of K.332 has all the gravity one could wish for, and from this point on the middle movements are all beautifully and spaciously expressed, while the outer movements acquire longer and more singing lines. What is remarkable about these performances is how they succeed in expressing everything that is in the music while remaining wholly without idiosyncrasies. K.570 is, quite simply, a wonderful performance of a wonderful sonata (it is probably the finest of them all), while aspiring young pianists could not find a better model for K.545. There is a tendency to regard these sonatas as student fare, not quite on the level of the concertos for piano and orchestra. Time and again, as I listened to these records, I was left feeling that I had underestimated the music in the past. I feel a little guilty about writing so little after some six hours’ listening, but in view of such all round excellence there seems little point in singling out further details. I dipped into a few recent Brendel performances for comparison and found a slightly more nervous Mozart in his hands, the pianist ever willing to zoom into tiny details. Since his points are always most perceptive, and he does not allow them to hold up the longer line, this is also Mozart playing that demands to be heard. However, the Brendel recordings do not amount to a complete cycle as yet. Altogether, then, Alicia de Larrocha’s Mozart cycle, well recorded with plenty of bloom on the sound, seems an ideal buy. The booklet notes are quite extensive. Though presented as a single essay, from the way they dart back and forth I think they must actually be taken from the notes to the original separate CDs, printed consecutively, to occasionally bewildering effect. Once you have got used to this they are very good. Completists should note that the composite sonata K.547a, included in some editions, is not given here; nor is the C minor Fantasia, K.396, which was completed by another hand. Christopher Howell   Advertising Rates Visitor stats MusicWeb International has over 40,000 Classical CD reviews on offer Discs received Having a problem Donating? Gerard Hoffnung Concerts & The Bricklayer Story MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues: Prices include postage There will be NO VAT Rises [Acte Préalable £13.50] [Arcodiva £12.00] [Avie from £6.25] [British Music Society £12.00] [CDACCORD from £13.50 ] [ClassicO £12.50] [Hallé from £11] [Heritage £10] [Hortus £14.99 ] [Lyrita ONLY £11.75 ] [Nimbus Special prices] [Northern Flowers £13.50] [REDCLIFFE £11 ] [Sheva £11] [Tactus £11.50 ] [Talent from £12.00 ] [Toccata Classics £10.50 ] Musicweb Special Offers Monthly Best Buys   New Releases New Releases   MusicWeb sells the Polish catalogue CDAccord £10.50 post free W-W MusicWeb sells the Arcodiva catalogue £12.00 post free W-W £11.75 post-free world- wide     Google Ads - for information about privacy matters, click here.  Amazon Musicweb International is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Return to Index

Reviews from previous months Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.