The combination of Abbado and
the Chamber Orchestra of Europe has to be my dream ticket for
modern-instrument Mozart. The qualities are irresistible: cultured,
characterful woodwind playing (so important in Mozart piano concertos),
an expert string section which carries no passengers, and an alertness
of response to a conductor who, with years of experience in this
repertoire, nevertheless shows no sign of going stale. Maria João Pires
is an excellent partner in all this: her stylistic approach is similar,
in that she also favours a light touch, but there is no danger of
over-preciousness. The expressive Andante in K453 – one of the first of
Mozart’s slow movements to make a major feature of the woodwind section –
is done especially
well, as is the bustling Haydnesque finale; indeed, the orchestra’s
articulation of the Presto coda is quite breathtaking. The C major
Concerto, K467, is, of course, among Mozart’s best-known works in any
form. Abbado and Pires take the work at face value: clipped and martial
in the first movement, perfectly poised in the central Andante, and fast
but clean in the good-natured finale. Both works were recorded in the
Teatro Comunale in Ferrara, though only K453 was recorded live. But
there is no perceptible difference in sound; indeed the production
values throughout are well up to DG’s high standards. (BBC Music Magazine)
Precioso, excelente homenaje.
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