This seventh volume in the Brilliant Classics complete
Mozart edition includes the complete piano sonatas, some of Mozart’s
best-loved music, played by the Hungarian pianist, Klára Würtz.
While Würtz is a very competent pianist, something is lacking in
these performances.
Mozart’s earliest piano sonatas are deceptively simple.
As Robert W. Gutman says in his 'Mozart', "Spare in texture, limpid,
and discreet, [they] flee the clouds and seek the open. For this they
pay a price when in the hands of a less than sensitive performer: then
they appear impoverished in character…" This is indeed what comes
through in this performance. While they are well-played, they lack the
sensitivity necessary to take them to a higher plane. Würtz plays
the notes, but does not play the feelings. There is nothing wrong with
her interpretation; they just do not go far enough.
Klára Würtz negotiates all of the difficulties
very well, from the virtuoso prestos, such as that of the G major sonata
KV 283, to the complex runs and ornaments of the adagio of the B flat
major sonata KV 570. Her skills are obvious, but nothing seems to gel,
and the music does not take on its own individuality.
The sound on these recordings has a bit too much reverb,
and the piano used does not sound quite right. This Steinberg sounds
somewhere between a fortepiano and a modern piano, and is lacking in
character.
While Klára Würtz’s performance is not
unforgettable, it is competent. This bargain set is a good way to discover
these fine works, but, for truly inspired performances, pianists like
Alfred Brendel or Mitsuko Uchida are musically much better.
Kirk McElhearn