One of the earliest DDD recordings in existence, this five CD
set of recordings which originally appeared on Denon, is the
latest and cheapest incarnation of Maria Joćo Pires’ recordings
made in 1974 for Nippon Columbia when she was not yet thirty.
She was then in the plenitude of her youthful powers: fresh,
artless, technically flawless and wholly, selflessly dedicated
to the advocacy of some of Mozart’s happiest inventions.
The extraordinary thing about these recordings is that the Brilliant
producers have never seen any need to re-master them and they
are right. There is none of the edge or glassiness often associated
with early digital technology: the sound is warm, rich and full
despite its 37 years. My only observation regarding the clarity
of the sonics is that occasionally I would like a little more
weight and definition in the left hand, but whether that is
due to interpretative or recording choices, I cannot say.
I recently spent some time becoming acquainted with the Mozart
Sonatas as played by Walter Klien (VoxBox 5026 and 5046), who
strikes me as a similarly unselfconscious artist who placed
delicacy, freshness and charm above the desire to stamp his
personality upon the music. I do not necessarily always want
to hear Beethoven played in this refined, non-interventionist
manner – but Beethoven is not Mozart, whose music responds to
Pires’ simplicity of utterance. Having said that, both artists
can make very different choices of temp, as in the most famous
music in the set, the “Alla Turca” from K331 where Klien’s playful
impetuousness contrasts markedly with Pires’ wistful poise.
He hurtles through it at 3:07 while she takes literally half
as long again. Both seems to work but perhaps a more revealing
comparison may be made between their accounts of K 570, a more
mature work redolent of Mozart’s later, more profound style.
To me, Pires captures somewhat more of the gentle, sighing melancholy
of the Adagio; she is surprisingly free with her use of pauses
and rubato and seems to make the silences sing – yet I still
love the serenity of Klien’s steadier pulse. Pires is similarly
free with the tempi in the Adagio of K 576 and achieves a hesitant
intimacy which Klien eschews in favour a more flowing melodious
quality which is more andante than adagio. Again, both approaches
work so well that I do not express a preference.
“Gramophone” reviews of Pires’ Mozart over the years have been
uniformly lukewarm; I appreciate that not everyone responds
to the delicacy and grace of her interpretations and can see
how more impetus and thrust might be desired but I hear no lack
of tension at moments such as minor key recapitulation in the
Allegro maestoso of K310.
If you do like her style, this super-bargain set in an attractive
clamshell box with good notes represents a compelling buy.
Ralph Moore
See also review by Jack
Lawson
Full Track-List
CD1
Sonata No. 1 in C K279 [11:59]
1 I. Allegro
2 II. Andante
3 III. Allegro
Sonata No.2 in F K280 [11:11]
4 I. Allegro assai
5 II. Adagio
6 III. Presto
Sonata No.3 in B flat K281 [13:25]
7 I. Allegro
8 II. Andante amoroso
9 II. Rondeau; Allegro
Sonata No.4 in E flat K282 [13:25]
10 I. Adagio
11 II. Menuetto
12 III. Allegro
Sonata No.5 in G K283 [10:08]
13. I. Allegro
14 II. Andante
15 III. Presto
CD2
Sonata No.6 in D K284 [25:14]
1 I. Allegro
2 II. Rondeau en polonaise; Andante
3 III. Andante (Theme & Variations)
Sonata No.7 in C K309 [18:38]
4 I. Allegro con spirito
5 II. Andante un poco adagio
6 III. Rondeau; Allegretto grazioso
Sonata No.9 in A minor K310 [14:46]
7 I. Allegro maestoso
8 II. Andante cantabile con espressione
9 III. Presto
10 Rondo in D K485 [4:59]
CD3
Sonata No.8 in D K311 [15:48]
1 I. Allegro con spirito
2 II. Andante con espressione
3 III. Rondeau; Allegro
Sonata No.10 in C K330 [15:19]
4 I. Allegro moderato
5 II. Andante cantabile
6 III. Allegretto
Sonata No.11 in A K331 [25:27]
7 I. Andante grazioso
8 II. Menuetto
9 III. Alla Turca: Allegretto
10 Rondo in A minor K511
CD4
Sonata No.12 in F K332 [16:25]
1 I. Allegro
2 II. Adagio
3 III. Allegro assai
Sonata No.13 in B flat K333 [19:08]
4 I. Allegro
5 II. Andante cantabile
6 III. Allegretto grazioso
7 Fantasia in C minor K475
Sonata No.14 in C minor K457 [18:33]
8 I. Allegro molto
9 II. Adagio
10 III. Allegro assai
CD5
Sonata No.15 in F K533 & 494 [20:11]
1 I. Allegro
2 II. Andante
3 III. Rondeau; Allegretto
Sonata No.16 in C K545 [9:07]
4 I. Allegro
5 II. Andante
6 III. Rondo
Sonata No.17 in B flat K570 [15:20]
7 I. Allegro
8 II. Adagio
9 III. Allegretto
Sonata No.18 in D K576 [15:59]
10 I. Allegro
11 II. Adagio
12 III. Allegretto
13 Fantasia in D minor K397 [5:58]
Maria Joćo Pires (piano)
