• Mozart: Concertos KV 466, 488; candenzas provided by the soloist
• Recorded June 2021 - Concertgebouw Brugge
• Recording: Jean-Daniel Noir
• Label: Alpha Classics
• Performers: Il Gardellino (ensb.), with Olga Pashchenko (pianoforte)

This is not the first collaboration with Il Gardellino and Pashchenko performing Mozart; Alpha 726 paired piano concertos 9 and 17. In full disclosure, number 20 in D minor is my favorite of Mozart’s piano concertos.

The first thing I noticed is that Pashchenko doesn’t wait until the official solo part to start playing; she supports the ensemble with continuo support in the openings. The second is the sound quality captured in this recording: the sound is alive and dynamic, with plenty of hall sound without losing the transparency of being close to the instruments. The balance between piano and ensemble I think is ideal. The timbres of winds are quite distinct from the strings. On a sonic level it puts this release out front ahead of many fine previous recordings of Mozart’s piano concertos by HIPP specialists.

The D minor concerto opens fast without ever sounding rushed, by mid-way through, it relaxes some in a supportive way. There are many rubato moments in the opening of this concerto, including with the improvisatory material presented near the ending ritornello. It’s tasteful playing from both the soloist and ensemble.

The Romance is a melody-focused affair and I feel the phrasing in the opening statements suit the shape of the melody well. The variation for the piano is quasi-rhapsodic, without ever getting too schmaltzy. This movement underscores how nicely the piano cuts through the orchestral texture.

The Allegro assai reminded me from the first movement how much I appreciate the timpani and horns. The development reveals even more depth to the captured sound. Pashchenko’s cadenza quotes the third movement’s theme but then quickly diverges before incorporating more thematic material. As an original cadenza, I think it works well to mesh with Mozart’s writing. The concerto closes triumphantly in the major mode which seems to appear as the resulting sunny weather after the passing of a storm.

The liner notes tell us that Mozart worked on the A major concerto between 1784 and its premier in March 1786. All the drama that opens the D minor concerto is put aside in a more conservative opening in the A major. Mozart’s treatment is to start quietly and tightly but then to open up things dynamically. The effect is slowly evolving, but ultimately wide smile. As we expect, the piano quotes the orchestral’s opening, which is by now familiar. But the theme gives way to more pianistic material, including scalar passages. But the onus of where the opening phrase will develop is left in the pianist’s hands. Things get interesting as the orchestra pulls at the piano part, introducing the various cells of thematic material we’ll get. Makes me think of Mozart’s later Jupiter symphony, building up to his ultimate contrapuntal finale.

The middle movement in the A major concerto starts, for me, too slow. Achingly, no, but the period piano can hardly sustain the tempo, but thankfully the acoustic space provides some leeway. One might be forgiving, given the movement’s popularity. One does not want to be put in a position, perhaps, to judge Mozart’s compositional prowess, but to my soul, the middle movement’s theme is superior to the first movement’s. When the orchestra comes in they provide a remarkable contrast with its sustaining power giving legitimacy to the original chosen tempo. Pashchenko and Il Gardellino I think are on the same page. The percussive nature of the historical piano compared to the smoothness of the orchestral texture is a real delight; as ever, the woodwinds shine from the orchestral side.

Mozart’s jocular personality comes out in the finale of the 23rd concerto. At full volume, Il Gardellino is splendidly rich sounding, with the album’s sound supporting transparently the runs in the woodwinds. The piano’s texture always manage to stay palpable, even when not playing alone. More than anything I appreciate how all involved are not too polite, which can happen with Mozart.

As I alluded to earlier, there are many recordings of these two concertos and even multiple options on period instruments. As a recent comparison, I listened again to the final movement of the A major concerto performed by Staier with Le Concert de la Loge (dir. Chauvin). Staier’s instrument has a different sonic character, perhaps less integrated with the orchestral sound (based on how the soloist was positioned?). I’d really liked this album when I encountered it.

But in the context of the recorded sound, with its transparency and superior integration of the piano within the orchestral texture? The comparison was refreshing to put this new recording in its proper place. Save for maybe the faster tempo with Staier in the A major concerto, I found this newer recording more enjoyable.

While I know Il Gardellino as more of a baroque orchestra, they have risen to the occasion here in support of these two concertos. This is a fine recording, and even if you have more than one recording of these, I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a more generous offering in sound quality. Congratulations to Paschchenko and the musicians of Il Gardellino.