Mozart: Piano Variations, Rondos

Stunning! Wonderful Music for Every Day By Todd Carlsen, November 28, 2002 Believe it or not, I own the gigantic Complete Mozart Collection by Phillips. I bought it soon after it was released a decade ago. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I should have spent the money on something else, but then I would not have been exposed to all of Mozart's amazing piano pieces. I am most grateful to have these piano variations in my life. Mitsuko Uchida's interpretations are just astonishing. Her touch, timing and feeling is just impacting. It's like falling in love with the most beautiful person in the world. Ingrid Haebler and Tom Koopman are virtuosos too. If you play these while driving your car, don't be surprised if you find yourself sitting in your car after you have parked to hear a piece all the way to the finish, and almost feeling your heart pounding with emotion. Some of these variations are absolutely stunning. From my perspective, Mozart's piano works for solo or smaller ensembles (sonatas, variation, trios, etc.) represent nearly his finest works. Experts rank his concertos, symphonies and operas (all with large ensembles) as his greatest works, but my experience is that his piano works for smaller ensembles and solo are masterpieces on their own. I have been listening to Mozart's complete works for a decade, and I personally enjoy his piano works the most for my own listening pleasure. I also very highly recommend the Mozart piano sonatas collection. Very highly! The piano trios and quartets are great, too. I think it's very sad that these Mozart pieces are not so well known. They are masterpieces of great beauty. I remember one time when I told a friend's wife about these Mozart piano recordings. Her father was a professional concert pianist, and she plays piano really well. She owns two excellent pianos - one grand and one upright. I told her about these recordings, and she said she did not care much for Mozart piano pieces - she did not know much about Mozart - and that Beethoven was her favorite. So I made her a couple tape recordings of some of the Mozart sonatas and variations just to get her interested, and a month later she told me she was completely blown away. Several years later I ran into her, and she said she was still listening to Mozart on piano and was so grateful for introducing Mozart piano works into her life. Mozart is now her favorite. I wish everyone could enjoy them.