Mozart, W. A.: Piano Concertos 6, 9, 20, and 21.

Mozart, W. A.: Piano Concertos 6, 9, 20, and 21. Ensemble Baroque de Limoges, conducted by Christophe Coin; Patrick Cohen, fortepiano. Recorded in 1996 (live) and 1999 (studio), Arsenal de Metz, France. Engineer not listed. 117+ minutes (2-disc set). Astree/Naive 3005.

Here we have recordings of two earlier and two somewhat later piano concertos by one of the acknowledge masters. (Mozart was 20 when he composed the number 6 and was 29 when he composed the number 21.) Right off, it is easy to see that he had a complete grasp of the requirements of the genera from the word go, and things went from superb to extraordinary. There is not much one can say about the music, so let's move on and discuss the recording.

First, these are "period-instrument" performances, so the enveloping richness we hear with modern orchestras performing "classical" repertoire is just not there. Don't get me wrong, the tonality and depth of the ensemble is first class, as are the solo performances. However, the weight of a modern ensemble is missing (particularly in the strings), and some listeners might judge the sound as being a bit on the thin side. Whether this kind of interpretation does the trick for you will be a matter of taste, but the recording itself does just what a top-tier recording is supposed to do.

Yep, the second point is that except for one flaw (noted below) the recorded sound is superb: smooth, clean, and blessed with a wonderful sense of stage depth and detail. Disc number one (done in a studio in 1996) has the piano rather close up in relation to the supporting players. This will certainly appeal to those who want to hear close-up textures from the instrument.

Using the Yamaha RX-Z1's Classical/Opera" or Dolby Pro Logic IX (music) modes available in my main system (Allison IC-20 main speakers, about 12 feet apart) put the piano in a somewhat better relationship with the ensemble, and the result was terrific. The derived center feed stabilized the soundstage for off-axis listening as well, and for this particular transcription I give DPL II a slight edge over the Yamaha mode, simply because the latter made the sense of hall space a bit larger than the music demands.

With my middle system (still in its not-yet-enlarged room, and with Dunlavy Cantatas about six feet apart), the lack of a center feed was no problem, and the balance of the piano and ensemble was a bit better. Clarity here was terrific, and the speakers allowed me to actually listen into the orchestra.

With disc number two (a live concert recording, done in 1999) the musical sound was actually a bit better. The piano was better sized in relation to the supporting ensemble and the textures were a tad richer, with the soundstage a bit more distant. The result with the main system was a mid-hall perspective, rather than the front-row orientation I got with disc number one. Both "Classical/Opera" and Dolby Pro Logic II (music) decoding did a fine job with this material, with the former delivering a somewhat larger hall feel.

Unfortunately, the concert-hall sound on disc two is cursed with a continuous low-level, low-frequency rumble that probably has something to do with a big heater system in operation. I could hear the rumble clearly on all three of my subwoofer-supported systems. Its intensity will depend upon the standing-wave patterns in the listening room and where the listener is located in relation to any aspect of the patterns that does not generate a null or peak at the offending frequency. At a live performance, this background noise would probably go unnoticed. However, with a recording it stands out like a sore thumb. I do not think those without a subwoofer or without main-channel speakers with a lot of deep-bass reach will have a problem with it, however.

Rumble aside, if 1 have any beef against this package it involves the lack of an information booklet. The bit of poop printed on the folding box was short on information about Mozart's piano works, and there was no information about the ensemble or soloist at all. No mention of a recording engineer, either.