Stuart Sinclair writes:

>I am interested in purchasing a set of the Mozart Piano Concertos.
>However I cannot make up my mind whether to go with the period instrument
>style or the modern.....  I am mindful of the fact that there were no
>Steinway's, Bosendorfer's etc in Mozart's day so I guess that what one
>should go for is a recording with period instruments.

I believe the first smart thing to do in considering purchasing recordings
of Mozart Piano Concertos is that there is no 'should' involved at all
unless you create one for yourself.  If you acquire only period instrument
accounts, you will miss the rich and silky smooth modern piano. Go with
only modern piano versions, and you'll miss the bite and some of the raw
excitement of this body of works.

My favorite period instrument set is from Malcom Bilson and Gardiner on
Archiv.  Immerseel on Channel Classics has a fine set, and there are plenty
of good single discs around such as the ones from Staier on Teldec.

For modern piano/orchestra recordings, there's so many available.
Schiff/Vegh on Decca, Clara Haskill on DG, Pollini on DG, Anda on DG,
Uchida on Philips, Barenboim on EMI or Teldec, Gilels on DG, Perahia on
Sony, and a ton of others.

It might be a good idea not to go with a whole set, but to get single discs
from different artists to determine what your specific preferences might
be.  On the other hand, it's possible that Bilson/Gardiner is only
available as a set.

The main thing is that the choices are huge - indulge and enjoy.

Don Satz
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