Your favourite Mozart interpreter

[pianist1976]

Hi, everybody. I used forum search but I didn't find any similar topic. Anyway, I'd like to know the opinions of the actual members  

Schnabel used to say that Mozart was easy for children and incredibly difficult for the adult. I agree completely. In my case, I'm never happy with my Mozart renderings.

So, the question is, who is (are) your favourite Mozart interpreter(s)?

I think that people who interpret Mozart in recordings and in public are very brave. I see those works as wonderful but also delicate (in the sense of the need for precision) and risky.

To my personal taste, my very favourites are Uchida and Horowitz (specially the old Horowitz). I admire more people in Mozart playing but these two are on the top of my list.

[slow_concert_pianist]

Even though he argued that Mozart's late compositions were "inferior", Glenn Gould is by far the most exciting interpreter of Mozart. His D variations are beyond belief. There are a litany of exquisite interpreters to chose from. Barenboim, Brendal, Periah, Previn are great (in their own way) and of course Horowitz and Richter are well worth a listen. Some rate Alicia De Larrocha, but I also really like John Lill & Imogen Cooper. There must be many many more. I have the Uchida piano concertos yet I find her rather bland, although some call her the "greatest ever", so it is all a matter of taste at that level.

That said, if you intent to establish a musical identity you need to bring yourself to the podium and not become another "poor copy".

[rmbarbosa]

Dont forget Maria Joćo Pires

[slow_concert_pianist]

Dont forget Maria Joćo Pires

I have only heard her Chopin. Similar to Idil Biret with everything rather over expressed, but certainly a very competent performer.

[darkstar87]

i agree, maria joao pires is a top notch mozart performer, extremely tasteful, lively and articulate. I've heard some live recordings by Barenboim, like of the sonata K.333, that were out of this world. Mitsuko Uchida, Alicia Delarrocha are great in mozart. Perhaps my favorite though is the period performance specialist Steven Lubin. His recordings with the Mozartean Players of Mozart's concertos (many with his own, improvised cadenzas) aim to replicate the way these concertos might have sounded on the nights of their premiers. very exciting playing! He is equally well in Beethoven's concerti, which he recorded with Hogwood and the Academy for Ancient Music.

However, Glenn Gould's antics in mozart i find rather offputting... I should admit, I find many of his recordings ridiculous (save for his excellent Bach).

[lelle]

I discovered Ronald Brautigam, who performs Mozart on fortepiano, a couple of days ago. I liked him a lot.

[mikey6]

Just to be a pregnant dog -

Hi, everybody. I used forum search but I didn't find any similar topic.

https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=30694.0