Alon Goldstein, Fine Arts Quartet – Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 21 (2015/2017) [e-Onkyo FLAC 24bit/192kHz]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 21 – Alon Goldstein, Fine Arts Quartet (2015/2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 57:50 minutes | 1,86 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Source: e-Onkyo | Booklet, Front Cover | © 2xHD | Naxos
Recorded: The American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York City, 24-26 June 2014

To make Mozart’s Piano Concertos K. 466 and K. 467 more accessible to the public, the 19th-century composer Ignaz Lachner left the piano parts untouched and made splendid transcriptions of the orchestra parts for just string quartet with added bass. These chamber versions of two of Mozart’s greatest and most popular concertos sound almost as natural as if Mozart had transcribed them himself.

My usual aversion to arrangements melts away in the skilful transcriptions of two of Mozart’s popular Piano Concertos from the respected composer, Ignaz Lachner. The young Mozart had spoken of the possibility of making such arrangements, probably using a string quartet as the accompaniment, so that his works could reach audiences outside of those conurbations with symphony orchestras. It never happened, and it was left to Ignaz, the younger of the Lachner family of musicians, who followed soon after the death of Mozart, to make these highly effective performing versions for piano, string quartet and double bass. Maybe it is heretic to say that I really did not miss the orchestra, though what has emerged are very different works to the original, the lack of woodwind taking away important colours that provided the decoration on the thematic material. At the same the bass end of the orchestration takes on new weight that I find highly pleasing. Just try the famous slow movement and the finale of the Twenty-first Concerto to sample the slimmed down backdrop. The American-born pianist, Alon Goldstein, is a first class soloist whose clarity of articulation keeps the textures clean and open, and I would love to hear him in an extensive series of Mozart concerto recordings in their original format. The Fine Arts Quartet…is obviously enjoying their ‘discoveries’ in world premiere recordings, while the much experienced Rachel Calin is the fine bass underpinning the quartet. A pleasingly mellow recorded sound. © 2015 David’s Review Corner

Tracklist:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Orchestra parts transcribed for string quartet and double bass
by Ignaz Lachner (1807-1895)
Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K.466
1 I. Allegro (cadenza by Beethoven) 14:27
2 II. Romance 8:49
3 III. Allegro assai (cadenza by Alon Goldstein) 7:11
Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K.467
4 I. Allegro maestoso (cadenza by Alon Goldstein) 13:57
5 II. Andante 6:43
6 III. Allegro vivace assai (cadenza by Alon Goldstein) 6:38

Personnel:
Alon Goldstein, Piano
Fine Arts Quartet
Ralph Evans, Violin I
Efim Boico, Violin II
Juan Miguel Hernandez, Viola
Robert Cohen, Cello
with Rachel Calin, Double Bass

Download:

mqs.link_MzartPianCncertsNs.2021AlnGldsteinFineArtsQuartet20152017enky24192.part1.rar
mqs.link_MzartPianCncertsNs.2021AlnGldsteinFineArtsQuartet20152017enky24192.part2.rar