Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Piano Concerto No.17 in G, K453 [30:18]
Piano Concerto No.18 in B flat, K456 [29:13]
Divertimento in B flat (“Salzburg Symphony” No.2), K137 [10:25]
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (piano)
Manchester Camerata/Gábor Takács-Nagy
rec. Concert Hall of the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, 15-16 March 2016
CHANDOS CHAN10929 [74:42]
The mantra all performers must repeat over and over again
when recording something which is already very well represented on disc is,
“what am I bringing to it which is new and distinctive?” For Jean-Efflam
Bavouzet, the answer in this case is simple. He is bringing to Mozart’s
G major Concerto, K453, cadenzas of such startling originality and invention
that they flavour the entire disc.
Moving off message and into the realms of Ravel, Stravinsky and near-jazz,
Bavouzet’s cadenzas are an astonishing departure from Mozart’s
own (which are usefully included on the disc as supplementary tracks) and
one which, it might be thought, would stretch credulity beyond reasonable
limits. But the amazing thing is, you listen to Mozart and enjoy the lovely
quality of the playing as well as Gábor Takács-Nagy’s delightfully personable
readings, and find yourself wandering off into Bavouzet’s own fantastic
dream-world without even knowing it. Suddenly you are in the chromatic morasses
of neo-Classical Stravinsky and wonder how on earth you got there. Next, you
find yourself seamlessly transported back into the presence of Mozart and,
again, wonder whether the strange aberration you have just experienced is
real or imaginary. So beautifully integrated are these extraordinary cadenzas
into the performance that their departure from the standard idiom is barely
perceptible. Potential stylistic gulfs are bridged so easily that it is difficult
to object to the musical chasm which lies between them.
There are two clear opinions. The first is that cadenzas need to maintain
the stylistic idiom of the concerto, while the other is that cadenzas originally
opened the door for different stylistic viewpoints to emerge. I retain a critic’s
impartiality on the matter, but am as near convinced by Bavouzet as can be.
These cadenzas not only add a lovely measure of spice and a tantalizing glimpse
of the present, but they bring about a freshness and vitality to the concertos
which causes us to listen to it as if through new ears.
Beyond the novelty of the cadenzas in the G major Concerto, these performances
would be well worth having on disc on their own terms. Gábor Takács-Nagy is
a conductor whose approach exudes not just good cheer and a lovely sense of
joy in the music, but have an almost spiritually-charged character; to use
one of his own favourite words when describing musical optimism, these are
moments of pure “alleluya”. Bavouzet is in total accord with this
approach, and the fluency and elegance of this playing is the perfect match
to the Manchester Camerata’s witty and at times effervescent playing.
With a fine recorded sound, this is a recording of two popular Mozart concertos
which should be in everyone’s possession.
Marc Rochester
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