MOZART
Piano Sonatas
in F major, K533/494
in C major, K545
in G minor, K312
in D major,
K576
Liv Glaser
(fortepiano)
Simax PSC 1149 (53
minutes)
Crotchet
The Norwegian pianist Liv Glaser has excellent Mozartean credentials, including
studies with Paul Badure-Skoda in Vienna and with Malcolm Bilson in the United
States. She chooses to play a fortepiano, appropriately enough for this
repertoire, and it is recent copy of an Anton Walter instrument, built by
Thron Irby.
There is no question that the instrument is a fine one, but it has not been
captured to best effect by the recording process, since the sound seems close
and lacking in atmosphere. This makes the instrumental timbre somewhat hard
and the performances feel more unforgiving than they might otherwise have
done. Although the tempi are undoubtedly well chosen, Glaser's phrasing tends
to maintain the musical line rather than find poetry in the Allegro movements.
Combined with the issues of sound quality and a certain lack of dynamic nuance
in the playing, makes this an interesting but ultimately disappointing recital.
The repertoire featured dates from the 1780s; the unfinished sonata movement,
K312, is probably from 1790 rather than ten or eleven years before, as its
K"chel number would indicate. The piece is certainly worth hearing, as of
course are the other items recorded here, but there are other performances
of the main works, by Andras Schiff and Alfred Brendel for example, which
offer the listener greater rewards.
Terry Barfoot
