Carmen Pi***ini plays Mozart

This afternoon, I decided to listen to the Piano concerto No. 19 in F, KV 459.

I hunted out Clara Haskil's splendid performance, and was suddenly struck how odd the accompaniment in the orchestra was. Ponderous, and actually not played at all in parts. The basses [two I would guess] simply fluffing the fugal entries in the Finale. I consulted the information and found the conductor was the estimable Ferenc Fricsay, and the orchestra the Berlin Philharmonic, recorded in 1954.

So I listened to it to the end and immediately selected the recording by Carmen Piazzini, piano, with Leningrad Soloists, Michael Gantvarg. Now we enter a world where the orchestra and soloist are matched as a hand in a superbly well-fitted glove! Each inflection of the soloist enjoyed by the band! True music making of the highest calibre. What would have occurred if Clara Haskil had been bless with an accompaniment of this octane?

For those looking for a current pianist playing Mozart concertos, and Sonatas, then I commend Piazzini as a musician of the calibre of any previously recorded Mozartian.

I thought I would mention this as I was put onto Piazzini myself by [among others] pe zulu of this Parish and Munch who helped me source the recording very economically. 50 CDs called the Mozart Premium Edition on a small German label, containing the greater proportion of the Symphonies, Piazzini's Sonata and Concerto recordings, and much else of great value and significance, for pence per CD!

The Russian Orchestra has some nice Eastern stylistic touches, and though small has some fantastic strength of articulation and power of tone in the strings, but not the old Soviet style of wobbling French Horns and winds. A stupendous band of true virtuosi who under Michael Gantvarg as conductor, present the soloist with every opportunity to illuminate the music, whilst being a full part of the team. Great concerto playing without the reason to qualify it in any way. Not overtly HIP, and very modern in orchestral timbre [but spare in vibrato as a rule], I like the ability of the celli and bassi to growl as they do in Vienna on occasion, and this only adds to the feeling of depth in the minor key works!

I listened straight through from Concerto No 19 to 27, all in a row, and that takes some imagining! Such was the captivating aspect, that there was not a lapse of concentrating for about three hours!

ATB from George