Fancy starting the day with a burst of sunlight, whatever the weather? Try Mozart’s Concerto No 16 in D, K451, where the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra under Howard Griffiths set the scene with a pungently rhythmic opening tutti and the young American pianist Claire Huangci (who has been mentored by Griffiths for more than a decade) bounds in soon afterwards. This is nimble, confidently voiced Mozart, the cadenza (at 8'49"; as with all the cadenzas programmed, Mozart’s own), elegant yet free as a bird on the wing, a real joy to listen to. The ensuing Andante is just that, a song set to a walking pace, the successive Rondo a swift performance bristling with life. Again the cadenza (4'28") is boldly assertive, while the recording (produced by Bernhard Hanke) is appreciative of scoring that includes, in addition to strings, a large wind section.

No 15 in B flat is, like No 16, taxing for the soloist. In a letter to his father (May 26, 1784), Mozart wrote: ‘I regard them both as concertos which are bound to make the performer perspire. From the point of view of difficulty the B flat concerto beats the one in D.’ The passage that would scare me the most – if I was a pianist with Huangci’s level of talent – would be the soloist’s first entry (1'42"), which shifts from what initially seems like relative formality to an almost jazz-like informality, with much brilliant passagework following on soon afterwards. Maybe Robert Casadesus with members of the Cleveland Orchestra (Sony, 3/73) plays a more sophisticated card here but Huangci and Griffiths remain convincing. I liked their poised account of the ensuing Andante, while their pacing for the sometimes rhythmically tricky closing Allegro is ideal.

As to Concerto No 17 in G, the finale is, would you believe, a variation movement on a theme sung by Mozart’s pet starling. There are some winsome tricks here, too, as well as one or two patches of drama such as the sudden loud intrusion from the winds at 3'31". My only mild reservation concerns the Andante, where Huangci is marginally lacking in flexibility. Here I turn to the markedly broader Mitsuko Uchida, again with members of the Cleveland Orchestra (Decca, 12/16) – 11'29" as opposed to Huangci’s 8'48" – but the pay‑off in terms of nobility of feeling is considerable. Sounds like a different piece entirely, but some would see that as a shortcoming (the lyrically flexible fortepianist Ronald Brautigam almost matches Huangci’s tempo – BIS, 4/13). Viewed overall, however, this is an excellent album, musically sound and technically beyond criticism.