About Mozart #19 piano concerto, Donald Satz <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>There's always relief around the corner, and Haskil/Fricsay take me back
>to Mozart's greatness.  Fricsay does a fine job, but it's Haskil who makes
>all the difference.  She is inside Mozart to the core.  Her flow is as
>smooth as silk when needed, and she has all the edge I could want.  Most
>impressive, Haskil provides all the qualities I mentioned above and just
>at the right moments; she always has something to tell me.  This is among
>the best Mozart piano performances I've heard in a long time.  The sound
>is mono, but interpretations like Haskil's transcend the mundane.

I also think she is just superb.  As a piano player (not for living), her
performance makes me wonder about how she could produce such a transparent
yet incisive tones.

>Rabinovitch can be dispensed with.  He is fast, engages in cute little
>hesitations, and gives me the impression that he wants to be as unmusical
>as possible.  His changing of speeds destroys any sense of flow.
>Rabinovitch just drains the music of its beauty.

I also agree.  This is the worst performance I've ever heard.  Some might
like his brutal speed, but I cannot appreciate his performance at all.

As my most favorite album was not included in Don's list, let me add the
following, as I believe it is worth hearing;

Pires/Jordan (Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne) - Erato (1977)

This CD might be currently available only in Japan.  Anyway, I really love
her performance of #19, which sounds very neat yet quite convincing.  She
feels every "shade" Mozart miraculously put in the score.  Her metrical
command is also superb.

This CD also contains #12 which is also the best performance of #12 I've
ever heard.

Hitoshi Asaoka
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