Mozart’s last two piano concertos represent Géza Anda’s Deutsche Grammophon cycle at its best, and slightly below. Conducting from the piano, the pianist rightfully avoids taking the heavenly B-flat concerto K. 595 through solemn paces. The piano, however, is surrounded by a reverberant halo that flattens out niceties of nuance and articulation. What’s more, the strings tend to take center stage at all times, even when important woodwind lines should be highlighted. Seek out Curzon/Kertesz (Philips) or Goode/Orpheus to get more of this score’s pungent variety and subtle playfulness. On the other hand, Anda turns in a sparkling “Coronation” Concerto. It’s highlighted by a brisker than usual slow movement, plus lively interplay between Anda and the alert forces of the Salzburg Camerata Academica. Anda also provides his own, imaginatively wrought first movement cadenza. The piano is ideally miked, and balanced in perfect proportion to the orchestra.
