I recently picked up the second recording of Mozart piano concertos
performed by Keith Jarrett/Dennis Russell Davies and the Stuttgarter
Kammerorchester on ECM.  This one has concertos nos.  9, 17, and 20 plus
the Adagio and Fugue, K.  546 for string orchestra.  The previous issue
had three piano concertos plus symphony no.  40.  (more on that later).

I am again impressed with Davies and the orchestra.  They play
beautifully and are duly dramatic and urgent when called for.  Jarrett
plays beautifully as well.  He has a nice flow and is highly poetic.
What I missed in his playing was the excitement provided by the orchestra.
Jarrett is quite laid back when it's time to get aroused.  This lack of
"dynamite" was most apparent in the first and second movements of concerto
no.  20.  I was cajoling Jarrett to get with the program, but he didn't
respond with any vigor or urgency.  Don't get me wrong - the man wasn't
comatose, just satisfied.  By contrast, Uchida on Philips really gets under
the skin of these two movements.

How much you get for your money is another valid concern.  In the first
issue, although there were only three concertos, symphony no.  40 filled
up the 2nd disc.  With the new set, you only get the 7+ minutes Adagio and
Fugue.  That's not good value, even by my loose standards.  Why did I buy
it? I like Jarrett's playing.

Recorded sound is excellent.  Both orchestra and piano sound delightful.
The set comes with a cardboard cover which is useless; just dump it unless
you have the hoarder disorder.

Overall, if you're simply looking for beautiful Mozart concerto
performances, Jarrett fills the bill.  But, that's all Jarrett provides.
There's more to these works, and Jarrett does not come through.  Given the
interpretive limitations of the set and the short playing time, I can't
give Jarrett/Davies a strong recommendation, although I can well imagine
many listeners enjoying the set (I did).  Although flawed, Jarrett does a
great job with his conception.

Don's Conclusion:    Worth Sampling (Assuming a large music budget).

Don Satz
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