Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

“For Catherine Mackintosh and Geoffrey Govier the "rules" of historically informed performance have become second nature; we get the impression they're playing for sheer enjoyment of the music.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2009

“For Catherine Mackintosh and Geoffrey Govier the 'rules' of historically informed performance have become second nature; we get the impression they're playing for sheer enjoyment of the music. All the distinctive moments are appreciated and given due emphasis but in a spontaneous way, the interpretative points never going beyond what musicians with good rapport might do on the spur of the moment. Yet it's obvious that Govier and Mackintosh are careful, as well as spirited, interpreters. The recorded sound and balance are excellent, and they artfully control their dynamics so that principal and subsidiary lines are clearly distinguished.
The concluding Rondo of K302 contains many octave passages shared by piano and violin; here, with precise matching of tone colour, articulation and volume, Govier and Mackintosh turn what might seem like a rare lapse of Mozartian imagination into a delightful colouristic device. In the first movement of this sonata they make the most of the quasi-orchestral writing, with its pulsating crescendi, horn imitations and tremolando effects. Colourful in a different way is the minor section in K301's finale, where the con sordino piano's soft quality perfectly supports the poised violin melody.
You may wonder whether to favour Duo Amadève; or the impressive Podger/Cooper team (see aobe). The latter mix into their programmes the juvenile works from the 1760s, but if you are most interested in the great series of works starting with K301, Duo Amadève; may suit you better.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Géza Anda's all-too-brief 30-year career (he died in 1976 at the age of 54) left us with a string of fine recordings including one of the first complete cycles of Mozart's concertos (for DG) and benchmark versions of all three of Bartók's. It is with these two vastly dissimilar composers featured here that Anda is indelibly linked.
From the first bar of K451, the least-played of all Mozart's mature keyboard concertos, you know you are in for something special. Anda, directing from the keyboard, launches the ECO into a true allegro assai, exuberantly matched by the piano's entry. This is Mozart-playing of a refined order, robust, sparkling and fully in tune with the entertainment character of the work.
The sublime K453 is a live performance from over six years later, no less successful in its precision, stylishness and general high spirits, though the piano tone is slightly glassy compared to the more rounded studio sound of K451. In Pierre Boulez, Anda, who had been playing the Bartók concertos since the 1950s, had a sympathetic and experienced collaborator. This live 1973 performance of No 2 is played at a cracking pace, rich in detail and, in the treacherously difficult outer movements, simply thrilling. Yet few pianists (not even Pollini) have found on disc quite the same mesmerising, unsettling atmosphere as Anda does here in the central Adagio. This is a valuable and well-filled disc.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“From the first bar of K451… you know you are in for something special. This is Mozart-playing of a refined order, robust, sparkling and fully in tune with the entertainment character of the work. This live 1973 performance of [Bartók's] No 2 is played at a cracking pace, rich in detail and, in the treacherously difficult outer movements, simply thrilling.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2008

“…many will welcome the opportunity to time travel, not least for a treasurable contribution from the young Felicity Lott. Sanderling offers no interpretative novelties. His music-making incarnates a dedication and sincerity we are in danger of losing.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2009