Hearing a brilliant performance of his concertos on the fortepiano, it's easy to imagine how Mozart fell in love with the instrument. Although it lacks the dynamic power and projection abilities of the modern piano, it more than makes up for these shortcomings with its subtleties of tone and intimacy of volume. Fortepianist
Christine Schornsheim does a splendid job of highlighting these strengths in this album of four of Mozart's piano concertos. Accompanied by the period-instrument-playing Neues Bachisches Collegium Musicum under the direction of
Burkhard Glaetzner,
Schornsheim's interpretation of the four concertos is quite energetic and filled with nuance and attention to detail. Soloist and orchestra alike share a lightness of tone and articulation without ever seeming timid or overly cautious. Intonation in the wind section of the orchestra is at times a little shaky, but not enough to detract from the overall success of the album. Period string instruments sound radiant and crisp; during slow movements, they provide a beautifully still and serene backdrop for the fortepiano. The sound of the fortepiano itself is generally quite pleasing, although the bass register is sometimes swallowed up by the orchestra.