The present concertos were among the highlights of Alfred Brendel’s mid-1970s Mozart cycle. His remakes, if anything, are even better. Brendel, to be sure, does not possess the most alluring sonority, and doesn’t quite match Richard Goode’s quicksilver fluidity in the outer movements. Yet the Austrian pianist’s articulation, timing, and expressive economy fills each phrase with inspired life. While his homegrown cadenzas depart from Mozart’s harmonic syntax, Brendel’s suaver delivery allows them to mesh more naturally with their surroundings this time around. Sir Charles Mackerras’ astonishing conducting, however, takes center stage. He reveals the full measure of Mozart’s brilliance as an orchestrator, eliciting lean textures that allow important wind and brass motives their due. Every nuance of voicing and timbre is pinpointed to a tee (both from the podium and Philips’ radar-eared engineers), yet nothing ever sounds forced or self-conscious, and, needless to say, transcends mere accompaniment. More Mozart from Brendel and Mackerras, please!
