Daniel Barenboim Plays Mozart Piano Sonatas EuroArts DVD 2066528 [KM] : Classical Music Reviews

Recorded from 1988 to 1990, this 3-disc set features Daniel Barenboim playing all of Mozart’s sonatas in two grandiose rooms, the Schloss Haimhausen and the Max-Joseph-Saal in Munich. Recorded for German television, this series of videos is revelatory. While Barenboim is a bit more rigid than in films made more recently - I think notably of his recordings of Beethoven’s piano sonatas made a few years ago during live recitals in Berlin - he gives Mozart’s piano works the attention they need. It’s fair to say that these piano sonatas are not as profound as Beethoven’s, especially the earlier ones, yet they are full of fine music, lovingly performed by Barenboim.

The performances here are in chronological order, so as you progress through the three DVDs - five and a half hours of music! - you can appreciate the changes in Mozart’s style at the piano. Barenboim comes through here as truly understanding Mozart’s musical language, even if he may not be the first pianist you would think of as a Mozart interpreter.

Barenboim’s Beethoven recordings on DVD - somehow they never got reviewed on MusicWeb International - are a fine example of not only excellent performances and creative filming. They show a pianist who is relaxed, yet energized by his audience. I always find videos of musicians alone in ornate rooms, such as these Mozart films, a bit odd, yet once Barenboim starts playing, I can forget the surroundings.

The camera-work is relatively benign - not too many cuts, few fancy shots - with the exception of some moments where two over-the-shoulder cameras cut back and forth between Barenboim’s right and left hands, each time with the keyboard at an angle, and each shot being the opposite 45 degree angle. This is interesting once, but quickly gets tired. Most of the camera-work is close enough to see Barenboim perform, but doesn’t always focus on his hands. While the sound is fine, the picture suffers from some deterioration. There is a note in the booklet to this effect; Euroarts did their best to restore these videos.

All in all, this is a very good set to own if you like Mozart’s piano sonatas. The performances are excellent, the sound fine, and having all of Mozart’s piano sonatas in one set is a bonus. As far as I can tell, it’s the only complete set available on DVD.

With five and a half hours of pleasing music, lovingly performed by Daniel Barenboim, how could you go wrong?

Kirk McElhearn
Kirk McElhearn writes about more than just music on his blog Kirkville

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