# Mozart Piano Concertos - Best Recorded Sound?



## The Fife (Jul 2, 2014)

I recently bought the complete Mozart Piano Concertos performed by Murray Perahia. While the playing is beautiful, I'm not happy with the sound quality. There is too much tape hiss and occasional crackling that I find quite distracting. Can anyone recommend a better set of concerto recordings that don't suffer these drawbacks?


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

The first place I'd go for amazing sound quality would be BIS.


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## Guest (Jul 10, 2014)

I have not heard a recent recording of the _complete _set of Mozart's concertos that measures up to the older ones, performance wise. Perahia's is at the top of my list, but yes there is some tape hiss. Malcom Bilson's recordings with Gardiner are also excellent if you like the fortepiano sound over the modern one, and there is a bit less hiss. New recording will sound much better and there are lots of individual concertos that have great performances to match the great sound, but not a complete set.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Uchida/Tate
Beautiful digital sound, wonderful performances.


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## The Fife (Jul 2, 2014)

Itullian said:


> Uchida/Tate
> Beautiful digital sound, wonderful performances.


I took a quick listen to this on Spotify, and while it was better than the Perahia recording, I thought there was still a lot to be desired with the noise floor on these recordings. For instance, the opening passage of the adagio on No. 20 or 23 both have a distracting amount of noise. If I imagine listening to these pieces played live, the tape his would be similar to having someone with a leaf blower in the next room. It takes away from the realism. I think the delicacy of Ushida's playing exacerbates the issue, as the signal to noise ratio is worsened.


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## The Fife (Jul 2, 2014)

Jerome said:


> I have not heard a recent recording of the _complete _set of Mozart's concertos that measures up to the older ones, performance wise. Perahia's is at the top of my list, but yes there is some tape hiss. Malcom Bilson's recordings with Gardiner are also excellent if you like the fortepiano sound over the modern one, and there is a bit less hiss. New recording will sound much better and there are lots of individual concertos that have great performances to match the great sound, but not a complete set.


I feared that a complete set might be unavailable. I guess that means I'll have to open my wallet a little wider. Here is a list of the concertos I am after, if you have any recommendations, I'm all ears. NO. 9, 10, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 27. Basically I'm looking for 19 onwards, as well as a couple earlier works.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

The Fife said:


> I recently bought the complete Mozart Piano Concertos performed by Murray Perahia. While the playing is beautiful, I'm not happy with the sound quality. There is too much tape hiss and occasional crackling that I find quite distracting. Can anyone recommend a better set of concerto recordings that don't suffer these drawbacks?





The Fife said:


> I feared that a complete set might be unavailable. I guess that means I'll have to open my wallet a little wider. Here is a list of the concertos I am after, if you have any recommendations, I'm all ears. NO. 9, 10, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 27. Basically I'm looking for 19 onwards, as well as a couple earlier works.


Christian Zacharias with the Lausanne Orchestra.


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

I look forward to following this discussion because the frustration that Fife describes is one that I have felt. I own Brendel's acclaimed set with Neville Marriner & the Academy of St.-Martin-in-the-Field -- and find the acoustics frustrating. (I've not heard his later set with Mackerras). I found a copy of Perahia's complete set at the university library, listened to it, and felt happy that I had not purchased it. Perahia's performance is often quite beautiful but the sonics are even poorer. I've considered going the fortepiano route since I generally enjoy historically-informed performances on authentic instruments, but have had a mixed experience. Mandryka recommended Christian Zacharias and the Lausanne Orchestra. I had my eye on that series but had not investigated. Here's the 5-star review of vol. 3 from James Mannheim of the All Music Guide:



> The partnership of veteran German pianist Christian Zacharias and the German audiophile label MDG has yielded some treasures, but this one, part of a Mozart piano concerto series, is going to be hard to top. Recorded at the Salle Métropole concert hall in Lausanne, Switzerland, the discs in this series have inspired audiophiles to great flights of technical prose. The sound has warmth, depth, and awesome detail, and the music simply reveals no blemishes under its rays. The strings of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, of which Zacharias has been conductor since 2000, have the kind of sheen that comes only from a unit that has worked together over the long term. Zacharias has a way of making the listener seem privy to his thought processes at the keyboard; he is as smooth as the orchestra; without in any sense going off the rails, he can convey the way Mozart, once thought to be so decorous, can really shock at times: hear his entrance in the second movement of the Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453, where a langorous C major opening suddenly gives way to a dramatic G minor suggesting inner turmoil. Best of all is the ensemble work between soloist and orchestra, with an incredible range of shadings in the relationship. In the way Zacharias, who conducts from the keyboard, weaves in and out of the texture, you can almost sense something of the silver liveliness Mozart himself must have had in performing his concertos. Although MDG has specialized in historical instrument recordings and has done impressive work in re-creating sonic contexts for historically informed performances, the instruments used here are modern ones -- and the performances make a powerful case for the use of modern instruments. There are dozens, perhaps hundreds, of performances of these concertos available, but few can match these.


This might well be the way to go for those who want state-of-the-art recording quality.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I don't go to Mozart keyboard concertos looking for great sound, necessarily; Mahler and Wagner, yes, but Mozart? Okay sound is fine with me.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

The Fife said:


> I recently bought the complete Mozart Piano Concertos performed by Murray Perahia. While the playing is beautiful, I'm not happy with the sound quality. There is too much tape hiss and occasional crackling that I find quite distracting. Can anyone recommend a better set of concerto recordings that don't suffer these drawbacks?


Are you sure you don't have a spike in the treble response somewhere? Those sounds you describe are pretty much inaudible on my system with a calibrated response curve. An unnatural boost in the high end can magnify noise.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Perahia and Uchida sound quality not sufficient? This is a tough crowd. Maybe Schiff/Vegh would do the trick.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

Better yet, Schnabel!


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## The Fife (Jul 2, 2014)

bigshot said:


> Are you sure you don't have a spike in the treble response somewhere? Those sounds you describe are pretty much inaudible on my system with a calibrated response curve. An unnatural boost in the high end can magnify noise.


I'm listening on a set of Adam SX3-H studio monitors through an Rme Ufx interface in an acoustically treated studio environment. The frequency response is as flat as could be expected. The tape hiss on the Perahia recording is bad, and even plain to hear on cheap ear buds.

Obviously the hiss is nearly inaudible when the orchestra is playing, but it's distracting when just the piano is playing.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Bulldog said:


> Perahia and Uchida sound quality not sufficient? This is a tough crowd. Maybe Schiff/Vegh would do the trick.


I've never heard a modern, post mono recording of a Mozart keyboard concerto with unsatisfactory sound. Given that, the emphasis should be on the performers.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Man, if you don't like the sound of the Uchida , I give up.


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## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

Perahia performs these works with a beauty that I can't find the words to accurately describe
Please listen to the music not the hi fi


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I like him, but really wish he used a conductor. The sound seemed okay.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

I've been very pleased with a set of discs from Arte Nova Classics -- ANO 825760 -- a 10 CD set









*Mozart: Complete Piano Concertos / Kircshnereit, Beerman*

I don't know what you play your music on, but my gear is rather good, and I can live with the sound of these discs, very satisfactorily. The performances are great, too, in my opinion.


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## echmain (Jan 18, 2013)

The Fife said:


> I took a quick listen to this on Spotify, and while it was better than the Perahia recording, I thought there was still a lot to be desired with the noise floor on these recordings. For instance, the opening passage of the adagio on No. 20 or 23 both have a distracting amount of noise. If I imagine listening to these pieces played live, the tape his would be similar to having someone with a leaf blower in the next room. It takes away from the realism. I think the delicacy of Ushida's playing exacerbates the issue, as the signal to noise ratio is worsened.


Don't use Spotify to judge sound quality. God knows how much compression it's gone through.

How do you have tape hiss on a digital recording? Noise floor? I'm listening right now on Sennheiser headphones, the only noise floor I hear is actual noise *on the floor*. I think Mitsuko's shoe squeaked.

I just don't hear the noise you're talking about and to be perfectly blunt, I don't think you do either.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

The Fife said:


> The tape hiss on the Perahia recording is bad, and even plain to hear on cheap ear buds.


If that's the case, your amp or player is introducing the noise. Because I can guarantee you that nothing like that is audible on a properly functioning system.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

The Fife said:


> I'm listening on a set of Adam SX3-H studio monitors through an Rme Ufx interface in an acoustically treated studio environment. The frequency response is as flat as could be expected. The tape hiss on the Perahia recording is bad, and even plain to hear on cheap ear buds.


Question: Will spending more on your gear give you a better listening experience? One wonders! :lol:


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

The only large sets that ClassicsToday gave a 10 for Sound Quality were:

Schiff/Vegh & Rudolph Buchbinder (Conducting From The Piano) with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.


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## The Fife (Jul 2, 2014)

echmain said:


> Don't use Spotify to judge sound quality. God knows how much compression it's gone through.
> 
> How do you have tape hiss on a digital recording? Noise floor? I'm listening right now on Sennheiser headphones, the only noise floor I hear is actual noise *on the floor*. I think Mitsuko's shoe squeaked.
> 
> I just don't hear the noise you're talking about and to be perfectly blunt, I don't think you do either.


Thanks for the suggestion to avoid judgement based on Spotify. I had a chance to listen to the Tate/Uchida recording not through Spotify and not on a phone's music player. The noise was in fact introduced by the phone's player/amp and/or Spotify. With a better source and playback system, the Tate/Uchida recording sounded very good. It is dramatically better than the Perahia recording. I think I've found a winner.

Thanks to all who offered their help.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Please listen to the music not the hi fi

Indeed.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

I think you should buy the Perahia on CD rather than get it from torrents.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

hpowders said:


> I don't go to Mozart keyboard concertos looking for great sound, necessarily; Mahler and Wagner, yes, but Mozart? Okay sound is fine with me.


Being that much, or too much, of a fastidious audiophile, imo, can be from moderate to extreme in opposition of being a true music lover.

They're recordings; no matter how good they get, they will never match live, including the ambient noise one finds there, lol.

A bit too much of fuss for my needs (a lot of fuss in the mind of the audiophile) -- while I hasten to say I have always had exceptionally good natal hearing equipment and have kept much more of it than many my age -- too much fastidious fuss gets to be more of an excuse or a device of avoidance to not be fully attentive to and fully engaged with some otherwise great recorded performances of great music.


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## deangelisj35 (9 mo ago)

bigshot said:


> Are you sure you don't have a spike in the treble response somewhere? Those sounds you describe are pretty much inaudible on my system with a calibrated response curve. An unnatural boost in the high end can magnify noise.


I've got all of Perahia's Mozart concertos and have listened to them though good headphones, and I noticed no tape hiss or crackling.


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## AndorFoldes (Aug 25, 2012)

The Mozart Piano Concertos are one case where performance practice varies so much that you can't just go for the best possible sound.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

AndorFoldes said:


> The Mozart Piano Concertos are one case where performance practice varies so much that you can't just go for the best possible sound.


Depends on you demands, you can't have both so I would say, buy the Géza Anda set and you will have hours pleasure.


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## OCEANE (10 mo ago)

For a full cycle of Mozart Piano Concertos, it definitely takes time to record one by one. It is inevitable to have the recording venue and engineering changed in the course. Therefore, it could be difficult to have a cycle with consistent recording HIGH quality and great performance as well. For a full cycle, I focus on the overall interpretation while for sound quality, single album is preferrable.

It's not a complete cycle but volume 5 now. Both sound quality and performance are top class.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Zacharias/Lausanne on MDG.
I was not quite as enthusiastic about the 2 or 3 disc I had heard but they are very highly regarded and the sound is first rate and there are SACDs available (although far more expensive, now that the normal versions are in a cheap box).


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## Wigmar (7 mo ago)

The Fife said:


> Thanks for the suggestion to avoid judgement based on Spotify. I had a chance to listen to the Tate/Uchida recording not through Spotify and not on a phone's music player. The noise was in fact introduced by the phone's player/amp and/or Spotify. With a better source and playback system, the Tate/Uchida recording sounded very good. It is dramatically better than the Perahia recording. I think I've found a winner.
> 
> Thanks to all who offered their help.


I do not know your sound reproducing system, though I recall these Perahia CBS recordings date from the 70s, and I have experienced that modern equipment may in some cases generate a slighly dominant treble sound on older recordings, although I recall the Perahia recordings sounded good. Another indeed brilliant Mozart interpreter is Alfred Brendel. I am listening to Brendel / ASMF, Marriner '13 piano concertos' (Philips 6768096, 8 LPs) with an old stereo system including a decent Thorens record deck. The sound is good.
Best regards
wigmar


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