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| Mozart: The Complete Piano Concertos | 
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| Creators: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Murray Perahia, English Chamber Orchestra, Radu Lupu
Label: Sony
Category: Music
List Price: $79.98
Buy New: $57.30
You Save: $22.68 (28%)
Buy New/Used from $57.30
Avg. Customer Rating:  (9 reviews)
Sales Rank: 9705
Format: Box Set
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 12
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 5.3 x 5.1 x 1.7
MPN: 87230
UPC: 828768723029
EAN: 0828768723029
ASIN: B000GLKLCK
Release Date: August 22, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
The best, but not all there is May 17, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I will just repeat all the praise from the other reviewers, it's a great, great set. HOWEVER, it doesn't have ALL Mozart's piano concertos---almost no sets do. Mozart "wrote" 3 concertos for harpsichord, collectively known as K. 107, which are actually arrangements of other composers' music. Perahia recorded these with piano and English Chamber Orchestra on CBS (probably Sony now) MK 39222. Also, Mozart's Piano Concerto #7 for 3 pianos K. 242, and Piano Concerto #10 for 2 pianos K. 365 are not included, but you can get Perahia playing them with Radu Lupu and the English Chamber Orchestra on Sony SK 44915. [They play the 3 piano concerto in Mozart's own arrangement for 2 pianos.] So any Mozart completist who wants the remaining concertos performed by these same forces will have to supplement with these two extra discs.
But back to the set in question: No doubt about it, I like Perahia the best. Brendel is a little finicky and Marriner who accompanies him is a little too business like for me. Ashkenazy is beautiful, sensitive, and has a wonderful orchestra, but I sometimes question his cadenzas. I don't like Uchida, too Dresden china sounding, and don't like any versions played with fortepianos and original instruments.
Speaking of cadenzas, Perahia plays Mozart's, except as follows: He plays his own cadenzas in Concertos 1, 2, 4, 5, 20 (third movement), 21 (first movement), 24, 25, 26, and Rondos K. 382 and K. 386. He plays Beethoven's cadenza in 20 (first movement). He plays Artur Balsam's cadenza in 6. He plays Rudolf Serkin's cadenza in 21 (third movement). He plays Hummel's cadenzas in 22. Mozart did not write down cadenzas for all his piano concertos, so in some cases they have to be supplied by the pianist.
Mozart's Complete Piano Concertos February 28, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Exceptional! The first disc contains four concertoes written when Mozart was 11 years old; they are great but only a prelude to the fabulous music yet to come. I researched every credible reference I could find and they all declared that the Perahia/ECO version was the best. Though I have tried none of the others, the quality of this collection leads me to trust the veracity of those references. When you consider the quality of this music, six hundred minutes of divine music for a mere pittance is an incredible value. If you like piano music and if you like Mozart, this collection is a must.
The pinnacle of Perahia's career ...so far! January 27, 2008
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
I have owned Murray Perahia's Mozart: The Complete Piano Concertos in all of its incarnations: audio cassette, lps, individual cds ,1991 box set and now this, the definitive release of these legendary performances-the 2006 DSD(Direct Stream Digital) remastered collection. The reputation of Perahia and the ECO in the Mozart piano concertos is almost without peer. Indeed, there are many fine sets available that come close, including Uchida, Anda, Barenboim, Bilson, etc. (many of which I've heard and/or owned,) but the Perahia 2006 set is truly the finest. The sound is brilliantly new & clear on this remastered set, now available at half what the 1991 set cost when it was first released. Perahia has a special bond with these works, very much like Artur Rubinstein has with the music of Chopin, Zoltan Kocsis has with the music of Bartok & Debussy and Georges Cziffra has with the music of Franz Liszt. It is quite apparent that the Mozart piano concertos touch Murray Perahia to the depths of his artistic soul, stunningly shown here on this latest complete box set.
My wife recently asked me if I could keep only one release from my extensive classical cd collection ( numbering in the neighborhood of 2000 discs to date,)what would it be. There is no doubt-this Mozart set from Perahia is the one! It would be among the absolute crown jewels of any good music collection.
Wonderful Mozart Set January 21, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
After trying various sets and individual concertos by Barenboim (II), Ashkenzay, Curzon, Anda and Uchida, this is my keeper. Perahia plays wonderfully (sample the slow movement of no. 15 K 450), the ECO always seem to be on the same wavelength as him and the sound is excellent. I've been listening to works from this set for months and consistently find myself absorbed by the music-making.
Outstanding August 23, 2007
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
There are many excellent collections of these concertos, but, in my opinion, Perahia stands out as the pianist who can convey the passion, the drama, the joy, the sadness and the sheer playfulness of these masterpieces of the repertoire most effectively. I would certainly recommend this remastered edition with absolutely no reservations whatsoever.
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