MOZART Piano Concertos Nos 17 & 25

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Genre:

Orchestral

Label: Decca

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 67

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: 483 0716DH

483 0716DH. MOZART Piano Concertos Nos 17 & 25

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 17 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Cleveland Orchestra
Mitsuko Uchida, Conductor, Piano
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 25 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Cleveland Orchestra
Mitsuko Uchida, Conductor, Piano
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer
Hot on the heels of Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s vivacious K453 (complete with his own cheeky cadenzas) comes Uchida’s latest instalment in her series with The Cleveland Orchestra. Latest and last, according to the blurb on the back, which is a great shame, for this has been a compelling addition to the Mozart discography.

The G major, K453, is particularly alluring: details are uncovered as if for the first time (just check out the bassoon countermelody from 4'04" in the first movement, for instance) and the wind players are in particularly fine fettle – giving Abbado and Pires a run for their money. As accompanist, Uchida is the most generous of colleagues, withdrawing her sound to a whisper. By contrast, the cadenzas (Mozart’s own) are wondrously shaded, and in that of the slow movement she plumbs the depths before drawing to an ethereal close of considerable beauty. It’s only in the quietest moments that you realise there’s an audience present at all. The lustrous slow movement is more elegiac than in many readings (Andsnes is notably faster here), we as listeners privy to the most intimate of conversations.

The finale also sets off at an unhurried pace – observing its Allegretto marking – allowing us to enjoy the theme’s natural elegance. Others may take it faster but Uchida and co find so much of interest in the following variations here that you’re constantly engaged. The interplay between soloist and orchestra is particularly sparky and the Presto conclusion provides a true contrast, thrillingly upbeat yet never merely breathless. No question, this is up there with my favourite performances of K453 – by Pires and Andsnes.

The C major Concerto, K503, is as martial as K453 is intimate and the opening tutti has a Beethovenian strength to it, brilliantly punctured by Uchida’s gleefully understated entry. Having said that, the slow movement is a tad too slow for my taste, though unquestionably caressing in its effect (by comparison Argerich and Abbado seem positively allegretto). The Cleveland are particularly responsive in the finale, which opens with such unassuming grace before exploring darker landscapes; in the middle section Uchida’s duet with oboe then flute has a wonderfully rhapsodic quality.

If you’re already collecting this series, you’ll need no encouragement from me. But for K453 in particular, this is a winner.

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