Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466; Piano Concerto No. 23 in A, K. 488. Olga Pashchenko, pianist and leader; Il Gardellino. Alpha Classics ALPHA942.
One of the reasons I started this review blog is to present an alternative to all of the unctuous music criticism that's out there. Maybe the best way to put it is as follows: I promise never to offer an opinion on something that's intended to ingratiate myself to any musicians, composers, critics, scholars, or others currently involved with the classical music industry. My loyalty is to my values, and to the knowledge and integrity of the tradition as far as I perceive both. I'm not trying to make powerful friends or get invited to cocktail parties.
But I think some critics might be. I think they believe praising something that's different, merely because it's different, makes them look enlightened. It almost seems like a kind of peer pressure; I see it with film reviews, too. Going hand in hand with this is an apparent need to cope with monotony: "ANOTHER [insert frequently recorded composition here]?? Oh, but this recording provides some variety. YAY!" Thus motivated, they seem all too ready to abandon questions of taste and proportion. I have told certain wayward musicological colleagues that if they're tired of teaching the "same old stuff" in music history class, perhaps they should find another line of work. Something similar could be said for too many critics. For every jaded "expert," many more listeners are hearing or learning about classical music for the first time. Many more past them enjoy it without the need for cheap thrills. If experts (loosely defined) care about preserving this great tradition that's been so good to us, they need to be more interested in serving these folks than in indulging their own cynicism and self-regard.
That is what I kept thinking about as I listened to this recording of Mozart's 20th and 23rd piano concerti. Pashchenko and Co. are clearly bored with the "Same Old Mozart." Judging from other reviews of this, so are some critics. Maybe they believe you are, too. For myself, I'm open to the notion that new performers might have fresh yet tasteful things to show us in well-trodden works. (I said as much in my Recording Review #14, if you don't believe me.) But if what we hear here is the guise that the "new" must come in, count me out. I'm comparatively more than happy with the Same Old Mozart.
My objections are best treated sequentially. First up is the fact that Pashchenko uses a period instrument. Actually, it's not even a period instrument; it's a replica of one. Now, I'm not necessarily against fortepiano performances of Mozart concerti. (Malcolm Bilson's cycle on Archiv is marvelous, for instance.) BUT, in this case Pashchenko's choice of keyboard just accentuates faults that would still be there even if she were using a modern piano. More on this as we go.
Right from the start of No. 20 (K. 466), I could sense things being off. The orchestra sounds thinned-out somehow, or maybe that is the effect of odd articulation (more on this to come, too). Then, the piano plays during the opening tutti. This is not unheard of. But it when it's a fortepiano, and the orchestral sound is already fishy, things get strange. My sense of unease only deepened when the piano entered fully at the second exposition, and injected too much rubato into the proceedings. It is especially noticeable during slow parts and more lyrical areas. That's when I became aware there were all kinds of odd accents and dynamics in the orchestra, and not just in the piano part. Everything feels synthetic and forced. There is little to no customary polish, which belongs even in this most "fiery" of Mozart's piano concerti. The closing cadenza (one of an unnecessary two in the movement) is played too ostentatiously.
Things do not improve with the second movement. We begin with a plodding main theme and (once again) too much rubato. Some lines in the orchestra continue to be over-emphasized or misarticulated. The end and some of the calmer portions are better, but the minore is plunky. However, the finale is worst of all. Excessive rubato again immediately afflicts the main theme, and the orchestra has a tinny, labored sound. There's another unnecessary mini-cadenza before the return of the main theme preceding the middle of the rondo, which interrupts the natural flow of the movement. The primary cadenza is eye-rolling, complete with a hokey reference to Don Giovanni. It's all very mannered and unidiomatic.
K. 488 fares better, but only just. The orchestra once more does not have that smooth, polished sound one expects from good performances of Classical Era repertoire. Instead it's kind of screechy. The soloist begins alright but soon sounds too frenetic, made worse by the strainy timbre of the pianoforte. We have more of her playing in the tutti parts, yet another unnecessary cadenza, choppy articulation, and random (but very noticeable) interruptions of tempo. Here more than in K. 466 Pashchenko embellishes upon the written score to a distracting degree. Far from adding charm and interest, this mars the music.
The second movement of K. 488 is the best stretch on the disc. The slow tempo, plus the music's specific character, help mitigate (if not eliminate) the flaws found elsewhere. But in the finale we're back to the mixture of problems described multiple times already. I like the unusually fast tempo, but practically everything else makes for a frustrating experience. The other big thing I missed is a rich, multi-hued tone color. That's perhaps harder to bring off on a period instrument, and might have sounded out of place anyway with so much else awry.
I cannot imagine recommending this recording to anyone. In fact, I will go the extra mile here and suggest that even collectors not collect it. Purchasing gimmicky products encourages labels to continue making them. We as consumers of music can and should demand better.
Resist
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