My favourite Mozart Piano Concerto, and features highly in my Blog, this is the first time that i've given this a spin, i rate Clifford Curzon highly, however he hasn't made many recordings, and it's good to hear him with a Composer / performer, i don't have enough recordings by Britten to rate him, it was also good to hear Piano Concerto 27 as well, a lovely work that i've neglected.
Clifford Curzon was born in 1907, and died in 1982, an Englishman, he recorded this disc in 1970, the recording is very good for its age, and considering that both Artists are dead, i thought this recording would be a lot older, i must admit that there's a shrillness in the orchestra at times [especially in fortes], it could do with more warmth, the piano is nicely caught though, the front cover shows two pictures each of Curzon and Britten, [the Curzon are by Editta Sherman], black & white shots showing them in different poses, i think the Curzon ones are more inventive, i like the symmetrical-ness of the pictures, thin white lines inbetween, the lettering well laid out, Curzon in red, and Britten in blue, i really like it a lot.
Well again it's the opening movement which is so compelling, those opening drones by the low strings in D Minor set the whole tone of the work, with the sour violins [0:00-0:33], and then the brass explosions create real tension [0:32+], the whole of the intro is a study in mood and suspense [0:00-2:31], after the first piano solo, i just love the way the opening orchestral intro comes back in [2:58+], and the piano joins in [3:05+], that's a magical moment the piano rumbling away in the bass, and the way it goes up the keyboard into a frantic-ness [3:05-3:40], and each time the opening comes back it's just so magical [5:33+, 8:04+ & 11:13+], during the cadenza at the end, the piano mimics the drones at the beginning of the work [12:52-13:02], a nice moment, and right at the end of the cadenza the hands go all over the piano [13:45-13:53], a really powerful and memorable movement.
Here's the middle Larghetto from piano Concerto 27 on YouTube, i couldn't find anything for Piano Concerto 20 by him.
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