# Mozart Piano sonatas: Piazzini or Engel?



## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

My used CD store has the complete Mozart Piano Sonatas by Karl Engel for $5. I don't see any Internet reviews for it. I've also noticed Amazon downloads has Piazzini's recording for the same price, but that means downloading onto CDs - not a big deal, but it's a little more effort. 

Does anyone have any input either way?


----------



## stevederekson (Jan 5, 2014)

Why bother when you can have Glenn Gould?


----------



## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

No expert advise from here, but obviosuly _Gould_ is unusually eccentric in many of these sonatas, even by his standards. What I´ve heard from _Piazzini_ (some concertos) was actually quite decent, but I haven´t heard Engel. Some complain that the tone of the piano in _Engel_´s concerto recordings is not perfectly in tune, but this doesn´t have to influence the sonata recordings.


----------



## stevederekson (Jan 5, 2014)

A serious recommendation would be Piazzini. I wouldn't say Engel's is not in tune, but the dynamics are a bit rough for my taste.


----------



## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Thanks, everyone, for your input. I've been sampling both on Spotify, and to me, the piano on Engel's recording sounds better. Piazzini sounds like it's farther away from the mic, and the piano has an out-of-tune sound, though the interpretation is interesting.


----------



## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

Owning over 20 different cycles of Mozart's Piano Sonatas honestly means nothing, other than I love Mozart's piano sonatas and it took me a while to figure out what I liked.

Your opinion may obviously be different, but I honestly put Piazzini towards the bottom of my list.

I don't own Engel's set but from what I remember when I did sample a few tracks from it, it sounded promising.


----------

