Elizabeth Rich commences a Mozart cycle for Connoisseur Society with the first four sonatas plus the sixth. There’s no doubt that Rich is a sincere and thoughtful musician who addresses the music’s formal concerns with well-intended accentuations and distensions of phrase. But all too often these devices sound like mannerisms or tics because the pianist fails to relate them to a firmly centered underlying pulse. When Rich steps out of her own way, as she does in the opening Adagio of the E-flat Sonata K. 282, or the Adagio of the F major Sonata K. 280, the music’s eloquence speaks for itself–despite Rich’s obtrusive humming. I prefer the more forceful dynamic terracing and nervous energy that distinguishes Lili Kraus’ similarly conceived readings (Music & Arts and Sony). And Klära Würtz’s warm, steady interpretations are included in her complete, super-bargain-priced Mozart Sonata cycle (Brilliant Classics). While I certainly want to hear how Rich will fare in Mozart’s mature sonatas, you should approach her Vol. 1 with caution. E. Alan Silver’s engineering lives up to his usual exemplary standard.
