Anne-Marie McDermott launches Mozart series
By Ralph Graves
Anne-Marie McDermott’s new Mozart series starts off with two showcase concertos.
The Piano Concerto in C major, K. 415 was one of three Mozart wrote in 1783 to spotlight his talent as a composer and performer. The Piano Concerto in B-flat major, K. 238 was featured in Mozart’s 1777 European tour with his sister Nannerl.
While both works were written to dazzle and impress audiences, they’re also music of substance. McDermott understands that and her interpretations balance virtuosity with taste.
She plays with a light, deft touch. Her performances provide plenty of expression, just with no wasted motion. To me, her elegant delivery is perfect for Mozart’s music.
The Odense Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Scott Yoo, has a fine recorded sound. They were the ensemble for a previous Mozart concerto series from Bridge. As always, their ensemble sound is clean and transparent — ideally suited for Mozart.
Ms. McDermott is going to be quite a busy recording artist. She already has a Haydn piano series underway, and now she’s adding a Mozart piano concerto series. Both composers wrote a lot of piano music, so each of these series will span several volumes.
That’s fine with me. I’ve enjoyed every release so far– including this one.
Mozart: Piano Concertos, Vol. 1
Piano Concertos K. 415, K. 238
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
Odense Symphony Orchestra; Scott Yoo, conductor
Bridge Records 9518
