Christian Zacharias, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausann - Mozart : Piano Concertos Vol 1 (2005) [SACD]

SA-CD.net review by Adrian Cue July 10, 2013:
Not just because this disk is the only 1 in the series without a review on this site, but also because it concerns a re-issue in SACD format, I thought it might be useful to share my views with the Super Audio community. To start with the end: My verdict is a wholehearted positive 1 in both artistic & technical sense.
Although Mr. Zacharias’ playing hardly needs any further praise (in its CD format Vol. 1 has been widely lauded in various critics’ circles) I would nonetheless like to reassure potential buyers & lovers of an unadulturated Mozart that it is his stylistic & delicate playing that constitutes the best part of this disc. Mozart is not the kind of composer requiring key-bangers (no offence meant!). His piano concertos are best served by non-glamorous, non-virtuoso & non-eccentric, natural players, who understand the ingenious ‘simplicity’ of which Mozart seems to hold the secret. This is what we hear in this re-issued 1st installment of the (then) intended full cycle of the 27 concertos for piano & orchestra (with the obvious omission of the early concertos, wrongly or correctly attributed to Wolfgang Amadeus M. as well as, so far, those for 2&3 pianos).
No 22, KV 482, is a mature ‘gem’ hidden between the better known 21 (Elvira Madigan) & 23. An excellent choice for the beginning of a cycle. The cadenza at the end of the 1st movement is particularly remarkable, in that the soloist is joined by the wind instruments. Mozart’s final, 27th concerto, the 2nd piece on this disk, clearly looks into the future. It is a ‘completed’ version & the liner notes will tell you all about it.
But that is not all. I found it particularly rewarding to listen to his ‘unhurried’ & articulate play. Ingrid Haebler springs to mind. The more so, since we are, these days, more & more confronted with orchestras, conductors & soloists alike, preferring to rush through the scores, showing off their virtuosity. As I said, this is not always asked for. To my mind, the rush risks ‘killing’ Mozart’s magic to say so much with so few notes. Listen to the Larghetto in KV 595: A marvel under the hands of Christian Zacharias, like the slow movement in KV 482. Yes, he does use ‘ornamentation’ (common in Mozart’s time) but with restraint & taste; not as a goal in itself.
Together with the excellent players of the ‘Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne’ we have here an ‘old fashioned’ harmonious & pleasantly ‘flowing’ Mozart that compares well with the best available.
As for the sound: There has been some doubt about this disc not having been recorded in Mch SACD (/showthread/101549//y?page=first ). I enquired with MDG & they assured me that all concertos had been recorded in Mch. I can now confirm that it is genuine Mch. However, there is no mention of DSD, so I take it that we have here a PCM recording, as is suggested, by the way, by the remark on the back cover: ‘no picture / only music’ referring to a DVDA PCM recording. It may have to do with MDG’s 2+2+2 set up, but whatever it is, it is barely noticeable!
Recommended? Yes, especially for those who prefer a concert grand over a period piano (& ditto approach), although many will say that both can happily live together.