W.A.Mozart: Complete Solo Clavier-Concerte [REUPLOAD]

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W.A.Mozart: Complete Solo Clavier-Concerte [REUPLOAD]

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“Anima Eterna’s stunning playing in the tuttis is perfectly balanced with the fluent playing of Immerseel” Gramophone Magazine

This set of Mozart's concertos for solo piano (the concertos for two and three pianos are omitted), recorded in 1990 and 1991, was one of the earlier widely publicized traversals of the Mozart cycle to be performed on historical instruments, in this case a modern copy of a Viennese Walter fortepiano. The chief virtue of the set is that Belgian fortepianist Jos van Immerseel and his Anima Eterna ensemble (Anima Eterna is Latin for Immerseel) work together in extremely well-coordinated readings. Van Immerseel's notes outline his general approach, referring to "respect for craftsmanship, intimate knowledge of instruments, respect for a composer's imagination." "Mozart," says van Immerseel, "knew exactly what he was doing." The performances are low in overall dynamic level, with a well-honed, quiet, and sweet sound in the strings. This allows van Immerseel to emphasize subtlety rather than dramatic effects on the fortepiano, thereby going in the opposite direction from many more recent historical Mozart recordings. The fortepiano, he believes, should be able both to blend into a variety of instrumental textures and to cut through them even when playing quietly, and he executes what he sets out to do.The results are technically impressive, although as with most Mozart sets, modern or historical, they vary from piece to piece. Although not dull, van Immerseel's sound is somewhat homogeneous, and the homogeneity is intensified by the fact that he uses the same instrument all the way through; other performances, such as the recent set by Russian-Polish fortepianist Viviana Sofronitski, loosely trace the rapid evolution of the fortepiano over the span of Mozart's career. Van Immerseel posits a distinction between the earlier concertos, in which the soloist is "lord and master," and later works that show increasing sophistication in ensemble handling, but his fortepiano is so low-key that works that should have a flashy quality do not stand out. On the other hand, the colors in Mozart's more complex textures, though muted, are indeed strikingly detailed. Van Immerseel, unlike most of his ilk, uses a good deal of pedal, not to impart a Romantic approach, but to fill in gradations of shading. His control over local detail in the giant first movement of the Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503, which you might think would be tedious in his hands, is engrossing. The big, dramatic Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491, also fares well; instead of pounding away in a Beethovenian C minor, van Immerseel transfers some of the drama to the orchestra by bringing the timpani to the fore. The piece takes on a true funeral march quality. In the Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, van Immerseel dispenses with the Beethovenian quality altogether in an oddly lightweight reading. The more purely melodic concertos have a certain dryness, but the listener will come away with a great collection of piano-and-instrument textures in the ears, which was van Immerseel's aim all along. The sympathetic Channel Classics engineering has held up well, though a recording location might have been nice to know, and the English-only booklet is generally sparse. The bottom line is that this set is well worth owning, especially at its new budget prices, even if it won't be universally appealing to those with high-octane preferences. James Manheim, Rovi

CD 1

Piano Concerto No. 5 in D major, K. 175
Piano Concerto No. 9 in E flat major ("Jeunehomme," "Jenamy"), K. 271

CD 2

Piano Concerto No. 8 in C major ("Lützow") K. 246
Rondo for piano & orchestra in D major, K. 382
Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major, K. 414 (K. 385p)

CD 3

Piano Concerto No. 11 in F major, K. 413 (K. 387a)
Piano Concerto No. 13 in C major, K. 415 (K. 387b)
Piano Concerto No. 14 in E flat major, K. 449

CD 4

Piano Concerto No. 15 in B flat major, K. 450
Piano Concerto No. 16 in D major, K. 451

CD 5

Piano Concerto No. 6 in B flat major, K. 238
Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453

CD 6

Piano Concerto No. 18 in B flat major, K. 456
Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major, K. 459

CD 7

Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466
Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major ("Elvira Madigan") K. 467

CD 8

Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat major, K. 482
Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K. 488

CD 9

Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491
Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503

CD 10

Piano Concerto No. 26 in D major ("Coronation") K. 537
Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat major, K. 595

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W.A.Mozart: Complete Solo Clavier-Concerte [REUPLOAD]

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Jos van Immerseel (fortepiano)
Anima Eterna