Mozart: Piano Concertos (nos. 6, 8, & 18) • Pashchenko
This album features two concertos written by Mozart in 1776-1777, performed upon a Tangentenflügel, a unique instrument not often heard today. It might be easily described as a cross between a piano and harpsichord, an instrument praised by the composer. What a treat to hear it played so well in this album with Il Gardellino and Olga Pashchenko, continuing their project to record Mozart’s piano concertos on Alpha Classics.
One of the things you’ll no doubt find interesting is the balance in this recording. The tangent piano has a limited dynamic range and the orchestra here is small, just six violins, two cellos… and the horns come out as the loudest instruments. As they should be! Don’t get me started about how the horns in Mozart’s 40th symphony should be played to be heard beyond the hillside, bells up and flared! The balance heard here, with the winds eclipsing the strings I think is realistic and I love how the tangent piano, the one used in the first two concertos, cuts through the orchestral texture. It’s a real treat to hear the balance like this which I think contributes strongly to the appeal of this album.
The liner notes with both comments made by the soloist alongside the typical historical context provided by a musicologist are well-done, giving us context for the use of these concertos by the composer alongside pragmatic details like the source of cadenzas. The sound of this album is nearly ideal, with significant bass weight when the full ensemble is playing loudly.
In the opening of the second concerto on disc, no. 8 K. 246, the first solo upon the tangent piano nearly replicates the sound of a psaltry. It’s a texture thing that speaks to why we should explore outside the baroque with historical performance practices. There’s just a bit of overlap that Pashchenko indulges in to draw the reference, I think, then returns to laser focus to play with precision. The quiet sound of the instrument does pull one in. The cadenza seems designed to showcase the range of timbre and sustain on the instrument. The runs are splendidly rendered.
The middle movement of the same concerto uses the full timbre of the instrument, in contrast to the middle movement of the first concerto, no. 6, K.238, turned off the plucked component. There’s less primary solo material in the second concerto, so the choice seems apt in allowing the instrument’s timbre to cut through the texture of the orchestra. Pashchenko does however play with the timbre between the solo episodes and the playing with the orchestra.
I couldn’t help but find humor present in these opening two works, which when it happens in so many places, it’s no longer a function of music and a reflection of the personality behind the music. It’s refreshing to find these musicians are willing to play along with Mozart’s cheeky style. There are several moments in the finale to the 8th concerto for them to exploit Mozart’s sense of humor.
The third concerto, no. 18, K. 456 isn’t stodgy by comparison, but there is a more mature quality about it which comes out. The opening contributes to the concerto’s length and presumably it’s more serious context. It was presumably written for Maria Theresia von Paradis to perform, who likely did so in 1785. The composer/pianist lost her sight. She supposedly learned dozens of concertos by ear. More than the first two works, there’s more solo time devoted to the piano in the outer movements. Pashchenko uses a Walter instrument for this concerto, which feels appropriate, given the period but also for the orchestration used. It’s difficult to know if von Paradis pushed so hard as these musicians do in the final movement of the concerto with comic dramatic effect; the style for me seems totally Mozartian, but would others during his time find that same spirit? We’ll never know, but I like the result here, for sure.
These pieces, as a collection, are not profound music. There’s something about Mozart’s light style and the tidiness of his phrases that come off as clever, for sure, but it’s music to entertain. Before you say that all music should entertain, I mean to say there’s less of an intellectual requirement from the listener than, say, some of his symphonies. If we dare to go beyond the surface effect these pieces offer, there’s no loss of admiration for Mozart’s ingenuity and creative genius. These performances continue the strong tradition from all involved, offering performances that are no only technically admirable but the interpretations, for me, get to the center of the music, without suggesting anything to spoil their transparent charms.
