Gerard Schwarz & Seattle Symphony Orchestra: Mozart Piano Concertos (2 LP)

Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra form one of the most successful and celebrated musical marriages in the classical world. Awarded two Grammy Awards and eight Grammy nominations, they are one of the most recorded orchestras in the USA. For Mozart's Piano Concertos 21 and 24, they worked with the internationally renowned pianist Eugene George Istomin, who is linked to the pieces by a lifelong passion for Mozart's work.

The 21st Piano Concerto in C major, with its cheerful tone and large orchestra, was one of the pianist's favorite works, which he played for President Ronald Reagan on the occasion of the 1981 inaugural concert. For the 24th Piano Concerto, which Mozart experts describe as "an explosion of dark, tragic feelings", the composer decided on one of the largest orchestral ensembles of his work. Istomin and Schwarz, friends and colleagues for more than 20 years, recorded the two concerts on October 10, 1995 in the St. Thomas Center in Washington, preserving the continuity and dynamism of a live concert with a few interruptions.

Sound engineer "Prof." Keith Johnson was responsible for the recording, while the half-speed mastering for the 200g double vinyl LP was done by Paul Stubblebine. The title, which the stereophile recognized as “Recording of the Month” in May 1996, has already been released on CD and HRx.

180-gram or 200-gram pressing - a question that is not that easy.

For identical titles from Reference Recordings, there are covers labeled 180 g containing LPs that weigh around 200 g, and vice versa. This is due to the fact that the commissioned pressing plants QRT and RTI in the USA specify a 10 percent tolerance for weight on the one hand and then occasionally simply get the orders mixed up. In terms of sound, the pressings do not differ. 

Track-list:

Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467

1. [Allegro maestoso]

2. Andante

3. Allegro vivace assai

Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491

1. Allegro

2. Larghetto

3. Allegretto