Mozart Piano Concerto #5, K. 175

I am looking for a better recording of the Mozart Piano Concerto #5 in D, K. 175. (Does anyone else love this concerto?) I am mainly interested in the outer movements. I like it really fast, and with lots of drive.

I have tried: Jando on Naxos. Not fast enough. Not nearly driven enough.

Barenboim on Teldec. Not fast enough.

Barenboim on EMI. Ditto. The Teldec is better.

Gardner on DG: This is the right tempo, but gosh-darnit, his orchestral balance is too muddled.

Marriner on Phillips. I don't like Marriner for the concerti with timpani. He's better at 15, 19, and 27.

I'm not sure if there are any left, let alone ones that would match my requirements. Any suggestions? Regards,

In the abstract....

I would too; nothing comes really to mind.

Agree re them. Steer well clear of Perahia, who's badly recorded to boot.

This comes closest. It would be nice if Zitterbart/Fey were to get around to it; until then, try their disc of 6/8/9 to get some idea of what can be done.

His orchestral sonority is quite inconsistent in the timpani concertos. For instance, he uses hard sticks in 22 with Buchbinder on EMI to splendid effect, but nasty soft - and barely audible ones - with Brendel (but with Brendel he uses hard ones in 20 and 24, but not 21 or 26; he uses hard sticks in one of his performance of 16 but not the other (I forget which pianist gets which sticks).

I probably won't be around my Mozart piano concerto discs for a few days, but I'll try to remember to take a look and see if I've forgotten anything worth trying. I doubt that the other main (only) HIP rival to Bilson - Immerseel on Channel Classics - would suit you as well, though you may prefer the sound of the orchestra as such.

I can tell you what not to try. I have Uchida/Tate on Phillips. It is boring and overpriced.

David Whitbeck

Presuming that we're still on the 5th concerto, you forgot the Levin/Hogwood recording on Decca. How would you compare this with the Bilson and Immerseel?

My recollection is that it's better recorded than Bilson's but otherwise not much different interpretatively; both are a bit more incisive and lively than Immerseel (or so my memory tells me; I've not compared them directly in some time).