The seeds were planted in the early 1970s when Deutsche Grammophon realised what amazing results could be achieved by recording the multi-channel tapes, with either four or eight channels. Yet, due to a few restrictions, they never fully blossomed. Flaws in the playback equipment meant that music connoisseurs were prevented from enjoying these recordings in the way that artists, producers, engineers and other professionals intended, even though recording technology was already way ahead of its time.
Now – over a quarter of a century later – thanks to the arrival of the multi-channel super-audio CD, there is finally a system available which permits these precious recordings to be released in the quality they already deserved back then.
As a result of Pentatone’s labour of love re-recording and re-mastering this release, we get to experience how Mozart laid the foundation for the series of so-called ‘great concertos’ with his Concerto in E flat, K.449. from the K.357 piano concerto. The juxtaposition of conventional passage work and contrapuntal episodes in the piano emphasises the sketchy, as yet unperformed character of the work. Though the wealth of melodic ideas is primarily intended for its effect on the audience rather than as a compositional innovation, it doesn’t diminish the charm.
Now, on SACD, you get to indulge in the Mozart Piano Concertos K.449 and K.537 in the intended sound quality as when they were recorded.
