Really, there surprisingly
little to say about this disc. It is
fabulous music, and you will not hear
a better performance. One can be fairly
certain that this will be a favourite
on many people’s list for 2004 releases.
The piano concertos of Mozart are so
well known and uniformly admired and
yet there is here something new as well
as something wonderfully comfortable
and familiar. The recording is of the
chamber versions for piano and string
quintet (a double bass having been added
to Mozart’s suggestion of piano and
string quartet). Mozart advertised these
concertos for sale in manuscript form
in 1783, and they were available in
a printed version two years later. Mozart’s
own advertisement states that "these
three concertos, which can be performed
with full orchestra including wind instruments,
or only a Quattro, that is with 2 violins,
1 viola and violoncello, will be available
at the beginning of April to those who
have subscribed for them (beautifully
copied, and supervised by the composer
himself)." Although the manuscript
edition proved difficult to sell, the
printed edition of 1785 was a triumph
and these three concertos really represent
the first great concertos Mozart wrote
for Vienna. Although there are no contemporary
accounts of chamber performances, there
must have been a good dozen such performances
in private homes of connoisseurs for
every performance in public with full
orchestra.
Indeed, the orchestral
version of the concertos has several
clear disadvantages when one considers
Mozart’s concerto writing style. While
the interventions of wind and (in the
C major concerto) drums may be lost,
the compensation that comes in the clarity
of texture and buoyancy of rhythm more
than compensates. Mozart’s concertos
always display an advanced sense of
dialogue between soloist and band, and
this dialogue is only increased when
the concertos are transformed into chamber
music, that most conversational of musical
styles. In the first movement of the
A major concerto, for example, we find
not only dialogue between the piano
and the first violin, but also between
the two violins themselves. It all makes
so much sense in this style that it
seems difficult to believe that any
other form should be possible.
The other aspect that
leads one to say that you will not hear
a better performance is the presence
of Susan Tomes. To this writer’s ear
there are few better Mozartians at the
piano than Susan Tomes. She has an instantly
recognisable sound, exemplified by warmth
of touch but almost crystalline bell-like
quality of timbre. Famous, of course,
for her work with Domus and,
more recently the Florestan Trio
Tomes is so steeped in classical Chamber
music that she appears to breathe the
style with as much ease as Mozart did.
Her sound is simply absolutely right
for this music. There is always, in
Mozart, the combination of delicate
virtuosity together with melodic and
harmonic subtlety. Tomes brings this
aspect of subtlety very much to the
fore in her performances. The balance
between hands, the shape of the melodic
phrase, the direction of the line; all
of this is so well judged – especially
apparent in the marvellous cantilenas
of the slow movements. In 1777 Mozart
performed in Augsburg and a local published
report said "Everything was extraordinary,
tasteful and admirable … the rendering
on the fortepiano so neat, so clean,
so full of expression, and yet at the
same time extraordinarily rapid, that
one hardly knew what to give attention
to first …" This description fits
Susan Tomes’ playing just as well, especially
with its implication that, although
virtuosity is present in abundance (Mozart
described these concertos to his father
as "very brilliant") such
virtuosity is always the servant of
good taste, never the master.
In this sense of good
taste the playing of the Gaudier Ensemble
also ranks highly. Balance and rhythm
and clear and precise, the sound quality
is superb and the sense of chamber music
dialogue everywhere apparent. Their
role is considerably subservient to
that of the piano (showing the concerto
aspect over the true chamber music aspect)
but the combination of accompaniment
and conversational partner constantly
enlivens the texture and those opportunities
to engage in dialogue are seized with
relish. Throughout, this disc is an
absolute joy. Hyperion at its best;
beautifully recorded and presented.
Peter Wells
Susan Tomes (piano) 