Pianist
David Greilsammer is nuts about
Mozart; one of his favorite programming choices is to present the whole of
Mozart's piano sonatas in a single day. He is particularly devoted to
Mozart's earliest works, which he feels are underrated, and he may have a point. Since
Mozart was such a little shaver when he wrote his early piano concertos that, apart from their obvious musical virtues, don't quite stack up to his adult concertos in terms of reputation. To propagate his viewpoint,
Greilsammer has recorded three early
Mozart concerti with the conductor-less
Suedama Ensemble, a student orchestra based out of the 92nd Street "Y" in New York City of which
Greilsammer is musical director. Despite the youth of the ensemble, these are highly polished and professional sounding performances, and
Greilsammer's enthusiasm for these early
Mozart pieces shines through. Rather than the usual obligatory -- and a tad perfunctory -- readings of these pieces one often gets in complete sets of
Mozart's piano concerti,
Greilsammer dives in with the same balance of energy and sensitivity many would only reserve for
Mozart's "hit" concertos. It does make a difference, and Vanguard Classics' Mozart: Early Piano Concertos is all the more impressive as it is
Greilsammer's first recording, made not long after his much lauded Lincoln Center debut; if only every classical artist could get off to such a good start.