Mozart, W.A. - Piano Concerto No 15, Symphony No 36

"This is an intriguing memento of a greatly missed icon, and the recording would almost have us believe that it was made yesterday."
International Record Review Feb 2001

One of the first meetings between Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and one of the few recordings he made for Decca (the other one was Mahler's Lied von der Erde earlier issued on Legends 466 381-2).
Thanks to his irresistible charm, Bernstein immediately grabbed the maximum attention and commitment from the Viennese players and then played the piano like a veritable angel. After all, Mozart's Fifteenth Piano Concerto was Bernstein's concerto!

Equally sweet and lovely is the wonderful performance of the "Linz" Symphony, one of the greatest Mozart symphonies!

Although previously issued on "The Classic Sound", this re-issue on Legends benefits from an improved 24-bit transfer from the original tapes.


"There are not many recordings of Mozart's piano concertos that have so spontaneous an air about them and are yet so well controlled. Bernstein, playing with sensitivity and sparkle, molds the line with those tiny agogic and dynamic nuances that bring music to life when they are applied as discriminatingly as they are here. He adds tasteful little improvisations where Mozart invites them. He chooses utterly convincing tempos — the finale, for example, is animated enough without being too fast. He conveys all the grave beauty of the Andante. It is only in the fast runs in the cadenza of the first movement that we are reminded that he probably doesn't spend eight hours a day practising the piano. As conductor, he has, as has been intimated, the orchestra eating out of his hand"
High Fidelity Magazine