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Alongside Bach<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s cantatas, Beethoven<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s String Quartets and Haydn<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s Symphonies, Mozart<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s series of 27 solo and multiple Piano Concertos<\/a><\/strong> are among the most sublime musical collectives ever committed to manuscript.<\/p> Whether listened to in sequence or picked out at random, each one is a polished gem that one can\u2019t imagine ever being equalled, let alone surpassed \u2013 that is, until you move onto the next!<\/p> Quite apart from the music\u2019s interpretative challenges that sit on a knife-edge between restrained elegance and passion, absolute precision and spontaneity, laughter and tears, the successful Mozartian must encompass a virtuoso exuberance that is never showy, a glowing cantabile touch free of self-awareness and an uncluttered clarity of thought that avoids the clink of Dresden china.<\/p> Four complete cycles stand out for their consistency of vision and accomplishment\u2026<\/p> For the sheer exhilaration of discovering these extraordinary works as if for the very first time, Daniel Barenboim\u2019s (right) first integral cycle with the English Chamber Orchestra still takes pride of place.<\/p> Like a first-rate, page-turning novel, these remarkable recordings from the late 1960s and early \u201970s are so alive and infectiously compelling that as each concerto ends one can\u2019t wait to move on to the next instalment.<\/p> This was a classic period for both the ECO and Barenboim and the special qualities of their working relationship are reflected in a series of recordings, faithfully transferred to CD by EMI (with double bass lines clearly differentiated, to telling effect), captured on a yearly basis when the music had been recently taken on tour.<\/p> Rarely has the uncontainable exuberance of Mozart<\/a>\u2019s celebratory opening allegros \u2013 the two D major Concertos K451 and K537\u2004(\u2018Coronation\u2019), for example \u2013 been so joyously conveyed, nor the intimidating, Don Giovanni<\/em>-esque insinuations of the D minor K466 made to sound so deeply unsettling.<\/p> Barenboim\u2019s ability to create a convincing emotional narrative, familiar from his Beethoven<\/a> Sonata recordings of the same period, turns each work into a must-hear conversation piece in which every phrase becomes an unmistakable musical metaphor.<\/p> This remains one of his defining pianistic achievements in the recording studio.<\/p>The best recordings of Mozart’s Piano Concertos<\/h2>
Daniel Barenboim (piano)<\/strong><\/a>English Chamber Orchestra (1967-1974)<\/strong><\/a>EMI 572 9302 (10 CDs)<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>