Mozart: Piano Sonatas nr. 8 (KV 310) and nr. 14 (KV 457), Fantasie KV 475

Sokolov’s recital brought that interesting A minor Mozart sonata again to my attention. Today I listened to a reading by Maria Joao Pires. It’s part of her second cycle recorded for DGG in the early 1990s. Her first cycle (from the 1970s on Erato) has been recently reissued by Brilliant Classics. This particular disc in my collection was included in a limited edition 25-CD box issued by DGG on the occasion of Mozart’s 250th anniversary.

Pires’ take on the Allegro maestoso of KV 310 is brisk and finely chiseled. It lacks the weight and momentum of Sokolov’s reading but contains enough light and shade to keep the listener engaged. The Andante cantabile is presented in a wonderfully sensitive way. This is really a highlight. The Presto is deftly dispatched too. All in all this strikes me as a very mature reading that leaves little to be desired.

The other pieces in this collection are played at a similarly high level. The beautiful Fantasie KV 475 (1785) must be one of Mozart’s most darkly romantic inventions, almost Schubertian in its Weltschmerz. The other sonata included on this disc is KV 457, the only other one in a minor key (composed in 1784). It even surpasses nr. 8 in heft and dignity.

All in all a beautiful collection that is worth being rediscovered. The technical quality of the recording is fine, even if the piano sounds a tad dry.