Lars Vogt - Mozart: Piano Sonatas K280, K281, K310 & K333 (2019) CD-Rip

Mozart's early piano sonatas have a disproportionate number of recordings given their relative importance in the composer's output. This might be so because they are relatively straightforward pieces that can be interpreted in any number of ways: they let pianists make their marks on the music. They can be made to look back to the harpsichord sonata era, be made proto-Beethovenian, or be played as pure Mozart in the classic delicate style. Pianist Lars Vogt's readings are distinctive and certainly justify his decision to present his own take. He balances detail and virtuosity, with zippy but graceful outer movements in the Piano Sonata in F major, K. 280, and Piano Sonata in B flat major, K. 281, that take just a bit of time when Vogt wants to bring out a specific point. His slow movements are lyrical and poetic: only here does he tend toward the Romantic side. Vogt also takes the sonatas chronologically and interprets them as the work of a young composer learning the capabilities of the new fortepiano, although he uses modern instruments. In the Piano Sonata in A minor, K. 310, and especially the Piano Sonata in B flat major, K. 333, he stresses more pianistic detail. The bottom line is that these are well-thought-out readings, as is generally true of Vogt's work, and Ondine's studio sound is superior.