| Reviews | Leif Ove Andsnes has once again made a concerto record of the utmost distinction. Directing the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, and with a recorded balance that reflects him as being the ‘first among equals’, Andsnes chooses ideal tempos and makes chamber music with his friends. (...)
This is articulate and communicative playing of the highest order with tempos in the outer movements that breeze along without ever seeming hasty or pushed and with flowing slow movements that are never denied their rich expression. Andsnes is happy to play Mozart’s cadenzas. The tempo relationship between the Presto and Menuetto sections of K271’s finale is ideal, the slow dance having a lovely lilt. (...)
In short, this is a very distinguished release, a true partnership between pianist and orchestra, beautifully recorded, with performances that are sparkling, revealing and deeply considered – and which will stand the test of time very easily.
Colin Anderson, 8 October 2004, classicalsource.com
Andsnes achtet dabei als Pianist und Dirigent darauf, die Natürlichkeit nicht zu verlieren, das Ganze klingt nie gewollt originell, sondern ,im Fluss'. Dazu kommt, dass Pianist und Orchester gut und scheinbar sehr vertraut zusammenwirken, zumindest kommt es da zu keinen größeren Karambolagen oder Auffassungsdifferenzen - das ist halt der Vorteil, wenn der Pianist selbst dirigiert...
Annette Lamberty, 29 October 2004, klassik.com
Fresh, spontaneous readings of Concertos Nos. 9 and 18 with the spirited Norwegian Chamber Orchestra.
14 November 2004, Seattle Times
Andsnes plays with finish and aplomb but never descends into that precious, generalized sound that many virtuosos think appropriate for Mozart.
12 November 2004, Dallas Morning News
Mozarts Es-Dur-Konzert KV 271 hört sich bei ihm an, als ob er zehn Zentimeter über der Partitur schwebt, selbstverständlich, leicht und direkt. Er bewegt sich tänzerisch, stürmend und drängend innerhalb der Form. Launig schwebt er über die arpeggierenden Achtel-Triolen des ersten Teils, im c-Moll-Andantino des Mittelsatzes schöpft er das instrumentale Melos aus, verströmt Thomas Mann-hafte Innenwelten. Selbst dem auf Konfrontation angelegten Rondo gibt Andsnes einen einheitlichen Bogen und verabschiedet sich mit einem Pianissimo in die Lautlosigkeit. Gleichzeitig führt er - vom Piano aus - das Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. Er dirigiert es nicht, er wächst mit ihm zusammen.
17 October 2004, Die Welt
On an altogether higher plane are the performances by Leif Ove Andsnes and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. Theirs is music-making that radiates enjoyment, with splendidly alert orchestral playing, and Andsnes (who makes discreet contributions to the tutti passages) revealing himself to be a Mozartian of unselfconscious eloquence. It’s possible to approach these wonderful works differently but you are unlikely to find more satisfying performances. Urgently recommended.
Misha Donat, December 2004, BBC Music Magazine
Performance: *****
Sound: *****
This record is a total delight: two irresistible Mozart concertos, one famous, one unfamiliar, played with the technical, musical and stylistic perfection that performers never cease to strive for but very rarely achieve.
amazon.com
Though for 20 years the market has had a glut of the same core repertory, EMI understands when an artist has something fresh to say about familiar works, as with Mr. Andsnes's most recent release, joyous and sparkling accounts of two Mozart piano concertos.
30 November 2004, New York Times
Sensitive playing that sees the Norwegian to go the heart of Mozart.
December 2004, Gramophone
Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes sets a new standard in performance of Mozart Piano Concerti on his new EMI recording. Like Jacobs in "Figaro," Andsnes delivers high-profile Mozart -- smart playing with genuine musical imagination that is aggressive as well as sensitive.
Pittsburgh Tribune. The pickiest Mozartians will appreciate his energy and lyricism…
CD of the Week, The Observer, October 2004
THIS exquisite new recording may be the sleeper hit CD of the year. The Mozart concertos have not figured in Leif Ove Andsnes's repertory until recently. After this first foray, Mr. Andsnes may get pressure from Mozart lovers to record them all.
Those who know this remarkable Norwegian pianist's playing will not be surprised by its vitality and beauty. His fingerwork is impressively articulate; every note matters in an Andsnes performance, and Mozart's inner voices and bass lines come through with utter clarity and presence.
But as usual, what most moves me about Mr. Andsnes is the self-effacing quality of his artistry. For all the sparkle, joy and imagination of his playing, these are elegantly restrained performances. Each interpretive turn and pianistic detail is at the service of the music. The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra has always been a top-notch ensemble, but the players sound palpably inspired here, as if they knew that something special was taking place in the Oslo church where the recording was made last year.
Mr. Andsnes so beautifully captures the sprightly operatic touches of the Concerto No. 18 in B flat (K. 456) that I found myself wishing some opera company would invite him to conduct "Le Nozze di Figaro." The performance of the extraordinary early Concerto No. 9 in E flat (K. 271) is particularly special. Though Mr. Andsnes understands Mozartean style, he is alert to the sensibilities of his time. There is something fresh, startling, even modern about his approach, with its no-nonsense articulation of phrases and incisive rhythmic execution. And he conveys a sense of profoundly moving resignation in the anguished slow movement, bounded so curiously by the blithely exuberant outer movements.
Anthony Tommasini, 5 December 2004, New York Times
Vorne, gewissermassen an der Rampe, ist das klug strukturiende, technisch brillante, auffällig leichtgängige und zugleich substanziell-kernige Mozart-Spiel. Doch dahinter, da wohnt, zumal in dem nahezu somnambul dahinschreitenden Mittelsatz des "Jeunehomme"-Konzertes, das Drama, da öffnet sich die imaginäre Bühne zu der music-theatralen Welt, die Mozart auch in den Klavierkonzerten auf die Beine stellt, um die Condition humain zu befragen. Andses figuriert hierbei als feinsinniger Regisseur. Sein Partner is, wie schon bei Haydn, das famose Norwegiesche Kammerorchester, dessen schlanker, athletischer Ton hervorragend zu dem frischen Stil des dirigierenden Solisten passt. Dialog is garantiert. Und solche Vielfalt der rhetorischen Mittel schlicht betörend.
Jürgen Otten, 29 December 2004, Süddeutsche Zeitung
Andsnes readily turns any base metal into gold…
The Mail on Sunday, October 2004
There’s an easy, fluent dialoguing in K271’s opening movement, a lovely singing lyricism in the slow movement, a glittering brilliance in its finale. And he delights in the twists and turns of K456.
The Standard, October 2004 |
