Let's see, off the top of my head:

kv466 - Evgeny Kissin with the Moscow Virtuosi under Vladimir Spivakov
kv467 - Alfred Brendelfly, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under Sir Neville Marriner
kv271 - Alfred Brendelfly, Solisti di Zagreb under Antonio Janigro
kv491 - Glenn Gould, CBC Symphony conducted by Walter Susskind
kv488 - Vladimir Horowitz with Carlo Maria Giulini and Orchestra del Teatro Alla Scala
kv482 - Ivan Moravec with The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner conducting


These are my favorite performances of these particular pieces...didn't quite have time to go through the entire list but I was certainly tempted

 

I don't think there can be anything like a "definitive" recording of Mozart's concertos. There are fine performances by far too many. Still... a great many would argue in favor of the great Murray Perahia set and it certainly is among the best.

:tiphat:

 

Neville Marriner's are very good.

 

Murray and Radu do some justice to the concerto for two pianos but that about it...and even then, the two guys (i think imogen cooper is one of them) who play with Neville...blow these two 'titans' away...Murray is quite expressionless, to me...I used to love the guy, don't get me wrong...up until I started hearing better performances by many others...so, uh, yeah...there are most certainly DEFINITIVE performances of every piece, even if some do good jobs...there are only a handful who truly understand the music and execute each phrase and passage with respect and finesse and above all, passion and virtuosity...all those dudes on my list have that...btw, Earl Wild does a try version of kv467 with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Anthony Randall...anyway, Murray nor Uchida nor Argerich and most certainly no Azchencrapsy do Mozart the justice so many other fine fellas and fellettes do; maybe de la Rocha but she's a little weak

 

It's quite simple really. For all his Piano Concertos and Sonatas it has to be Jenő Jandó

 

Malcolm Bilson on the forte piano with John Elliot Gardner.

 

Exactly. This is the definitive set. I really like Friederich Gulda too, he creates a forte-piano like sound on a conventional modern grand concert piano, but he has only recorded a few of the concerts.

 

I also enjoy the recordings by Bilson and Gardiner - but I don't have the complete set. For that, I have Perahia, which I really enjoy. I also have some recordings by Brendel on Phillips, which are very nice. I think there are numerous great recordings out there. Finding the "definitive" one, though, is a task that might drive you to madness. You can only find what is definitive to you. Ask people on here, and you just might get as many different responses as people responding. Some like HIP recordings (the Bilson ones, for example), while others don't. Sample, then decide for yourself.

 

Love Geza Anda's recordings.

 

I suppose it's fairly irrelevant, being off the beaten path, but... the old recording of Kv. 271 with Igor Kipnis on harpsichord is fascinating. So is the history around the work. The dedicatee and first performer was much more famous as a harpsichordist than as a pianist. Sister Nannette played the work (the next season?) in concert - on a harpsichord.

 

There is absolutely nothing "definitive" about my list given below except that it happens to comprise the set that I have singled out as my personal favourites, among hundreds of recordings that I've picked up over the years. I can't now remember why I selected any of them, except that they're all based on a good comparative listen. I daresay that if I were to go through the whole lot yet again I might come up with a different list.

Of those pianists mentioned by others, I would say that I don't much care for Glenn Gould's Mozart. I don't like the guy's playing except for Bach, and even then I prefer others'. Argerich is not much good for Mozart. Horowitz ditto. One of my overall favourite pianists is Maria João Pires, and I'd buy more of her Mozart piano concerto CDs if I were in the market for yet more of Mozart, but I'm not. Perahia is another favourite, as to is Mitsuko Uchida and Ingrid Haebler. I also like both Ashkenazy and Barenboim, and either of their sets (of the later concertos) would be a good starting point.

1 K 037 - No 1, Ashkenazy
2 K 039 - No 2, Barenboim
3 K 040 - No 3, Anda
4 K 041 - No 4, Perahia
5 K 175 - No 5, Uchida
6 K 238 - No 6, Greilsammer
7 K 242 - Concerto for 3 pianos in F major, Lodron, Ashkenazy, Barenboim, Fou Ts'ong 8
8 K 246 - No 8, Lützow, Kocsis
9 K 271 - No 9, "Jeunehomme", Kraus
10 K 365 - Concerto for 2 pianos and orchestra, Elena & Emil Gilels
11 K 413 - No 11, Haebler
12 K 414 - No 12, Pires
13 K 415 - No 13, Jando
14 K 449 - No 14, "1st Ployer", Moravec
15 K 450 - No 15, Kempff
16 K 451 - No 16, Schiff
17 K 453 - No 17, "2nd Ployer", Pires,
18 K 456 - No 18, "Paradies", Goode
19 K 459 - No 19, Pollini
20 K 466 - No 20, Ashkenazy
21 K 467 - No 21, Ashkenazy
22 K 482 - No 22, Richter
23 K 488 - No 23, Pollini
24 K 491 - No 24, Ashkenazy
25 K 503 - No 25, Serkin
26 K 537 - No 26, "Coronation", Uchida
27 K 595 - No 27, Uchida

 

Maria João Pres

First let me say that there is NOTHING definitive in art, there is NOTHING definitive in musical interpretation. Or in other words the definitive is still to come!

Saying that and not repeating all the others before me of course you have great sets by Uchida, by Perahia, by Geza Anda, Malcolm Bilson and some others within the set by van Immerseel on fortepiano.

But I would recommend you one of the finest Mozart piano players: Maria João Pires.

Try the two CDs she recorded with Abbado:

(n.17 & 21)

(n.14 & 26)

 

This is a topic of interest for me right now as I am in the market for a Mozart concerto set myself, so I'll resurrect this thread...from what I've heard I recommend Perahia and Barenboim (NOT Horowitz!), but I am curious to see what others think.

(Uchida and Pires also produce what I would consider "tasteful" Mozart playing but I find somewhat colourless.)

 

You're going to get tons of different answers to this question.

I have literally hundreds of recordings of Mozart's Piano Concertos, and none of them are "definitive" for me. It all depends on how you like your Mozart. Lyrical or Romantic or Introspective or Baroque or Powerful. I like to switch around so I'm not completely set in my ways when it comes to the Piano Concertos (Mozart's Piano Sonatas is a different matter).

If you want a complete set so you can hear everything for a very nice price, my recommendation is to get the set from Murray Perahia.

The Brendel set with Neville Marriner is also very nice. I'm not really a fan of the Ashkenazy set. Barenboim is ok in spots. Anda I'm not real big on. Uchida is ok most of the time. Schiff is good. Jando is ok. But others will disagree because they aren't looking for the same qualities in the work that I am. The only thing you can do is try a few and see what you like.

 

And what is the difference between these two recordings-is there a reason I should go for the more expensive one?

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Complete-Concertos-Wolfgang-A/dp/B000GLKLCK

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=709279

 

You can get the cheaper Perahia set on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Comple...XOBFB0/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1378589141&sr=1-1&keywords=Mozart+Perahia

Save the bucks and get it this way. It supersedes the more expensive option.

 

Search TC on Lili Kraus for my opinion.

 

She did them for Columbia with the Vienna Festival Orchestra cond. Stephen Simon in 1973 and performed them on American TV about that time. They were not issued in the UK to my knowledge but they should be now ,I have never heard better and I listen to her often.

 

Anda and Perahia for me...

 

Since there is no "definitive" set.... and they are old audio, if available (maybe on Naxos), but ANNIE FISCHER needs to be mentioned in a Mozart Piano Concerto thread, really.

 

I see that you feel about Fischer the way I feel about Curzon! And Fischer, for that matter.

 

I have gained much pleasure from the EMI set of Scnabel's Mozart recordings, also Kempff's recording of K.467 and K.482 with the Bavarian RSO/Klee on DG- this was Kempff's last recording made when he was 87, and it's wonderful. Solomon's few recordings of Mozart are most enjoyable. Likewise Clifford Curzon.

 

Here's some that I have enjoyed

K. 271 Ranki/Rolla

K. 365 Gulda/Corea/Harnoncourt (really for Harnoncourt); Gilels/Gilels; Lupu/Perrahia

K. 415 Michelangeli/Giulini

K 449 No 14 Bilson/Gardiner; Horszowski/Casals; Ranki/Rolla

K 450 No 15 Michelangeli/Giulini; Richter/Barshai

K 451 No 16 Barenboim, Kocsis

K 453 No 17 Ranki/Rolla

K 456 No 18 Henkermans/Pritchard

K 459 No 19 Henkermans/Pritchard

K 466 No 20 ???

K 467 No 21 Gilels/Barshai; Schnabel (for the cadenza) .

K 482 No 22 Richter/Kondrashin

K 488 No 23 Zacharias/Zinman; Kocsis/???

K 491 No 24 Kempff/Maderna

K 503 No 25 Kocsis

K 537 No 26 Zacharias

K 595 No 27 Gilels/Gilels (live from Moscow); Kocsis

 

For 20 and 21 Gulda

 

Or shelley, of course

 

There is no such thing. When a man writes over 20 piano concertos, no single pianist can perform all of them to one's satisfaction.

The one Mozart piano concerto performance that has stood the test of time is Artur Rubinstein's of the 23rd in A Major. Never heard a better one.

 

There is, of course, no 'definite' set. I have both Perahia and Brendel who are both very good in different ways.
Gilels special in no 27 and K365
Gould good in No 24 as is Solomon.
Kempff a great Mozartian.
Fischer fantastic in 21 & 22
Argerich in 25
Serkin's earlier performances were great with Szell and Ormandy. Avoid the later ones with Abbado where his technique had gone.

 

Over all Anda, DG
Modern, Uchida/Tate, Philips

 

Yes, it's a shame some folks around here are not familiar with the recreative genius that was Annie Fischer; not only terrific in Mozart, but also Schubert and the complete Beethoven piano sonatas.

 

I know Fischer and she was excellent.
You heard Haebler's Mozart and Schubert?

Or de larrocha?

 

Many great ones have been mentioned; but I must add that I myself have a soft spot for Szell/Casadesus. All their recordings are available in a cheap box set, for those interested.

 

Yes, I have some of these. Great Mozartean of his type.