Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 15 in B flat major, K450

“A "dream world" is how Arthur Hutchings described the Andante of K467. Christian Zacharias begs to differ, the time signature alla breve dictating a fleeter pace than usually heard. Muted strings still underline the harmonic shadows but there is no lingering.” Gramophone Magazine, January 2011

“his entrances seem especially organic in these crisp, unsentimental readings. The Lausanne players are remarkably precise.” New York Times, 26th November 2010

“Magisterial and powerful playing” BBC Music Magazine, April 2010 ****

“Michelangeli's explosive but flawlessly controlled force and energy are frightening in their perfection and I doubt whether a more masterly Second Scherzo exists on record...[his] agility in the last two movements of Beethoven's Sonata No. 3 has to be heard to be believed.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2010

“Aimard pays tribute to Mozart's clearly shaped yet very sensitive voice without sugar coating anything. He strives for finely coloured nuances together with the excellent wind players, uniting transparency and depth in his analytical approach to playing." (Kleine Zeitung on performances of the Mozart concertos)

“There are not many composers for whom one could programme three concertos in the same key. Nevertheless, Mozart allegedly associated B flat major with happiness and with his fecund genius there is little risk of boredom.
A modern grand piano can sound heavy in Mozart's earlier concertos but Pierre-Laurent Aimard handles the solo writing in Concerto No 6 (K238), composed in Salzburg in 1776, with graceful agility. No 15 (K450), composed in Vienna in 1784, shows Mozart's increased emotional complexity and sophisticated use of the orchestra. Aimard encourages orchestral interjections to extend organically from the piano solos; the Andante expresses profound yearning in the most civilised manner possible; the last movement bubbles with affection.
In Mozart's last piano concerto, K595, the sunny optimism evident in the other B flat concertos is mingled with melancholic moods in the substantial opening movement (it lasts nearly a quarter of an hour, compared to the seven-minute Allegro aperto which opens K238).
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe produce soft-grained performances in which glossy elegance is favoured over dramatic colour. Wood-wind contributions are gently massaged into the texture and the horns seem a little distant and subdued but the orchestra produce lean textures and tight rhythms. Aimard directs from the keyboard, an authentic approach that has been avoided by some of the finest period-instrument Mozartians. In true Glenn Gould style, you can occasionally hear him humming along, this immersion in the music nurturing an admirable sensation of unity and harmony.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010