Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Piano Concerto no. 11 in F, K. 413
Piano Concerto no. 13 in C, K. 415
Oboe Concerto in C, K. 314
Roman Borisov (piano); Gabriel Pidoux (oboe)
ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien (K. 413, 415), Mozarteumorchester Salzburg (K. 314)/Howard Griffiths
rec. 2022, ORF Funkhaus Wien, Studio 6/Großer Sendesaal (K. 413, 415), Orchesterhaus Salzburg (K. 314)
Alpha Classics 991 [69]
This disc is volume 6 of a series called “Next Generation Mozart Soloists”, the first two issues of which were reviewed by Ralph Moore (review). Produced under the aegis of the Swiss-based Orpheum Foundation, the series aims to provide new recordings of the complete Mozart concertos played by soloists still in their 20s, who have been selected by the Foundation’s vastly experienced artistic director Howard Griffiths. Most of the discs issued so far have featured more than one solo instrument, in part – one assumes – for marketing reasons. Like most of the others, certainly, the disc under review has a combination of works never issued together before, and hence has no direct competitors.
The two soloists heard here unequivocally belong to the “next generation”: the Parisian oboist Gabriel Pidoux (son of the distinguished cellist Raphaël Pidoux) is 26, and the Siberian pianist Roman Borisov only 20. The former is already busily establishing an international career, whereas the latter is best known as the first prize-winner at the prestigious Kissingen Piano-Olympus in 2022, joining such illustrious predecessors as Martin Helmchen, Kit Armstrong and Behzod Abduraimov.
It is Borisov who goes first, accompanied by Howard Griffiths and the Vienna-based Austrian Radio Symphony Orchestra. In many ways the latter set the tone for the whole disc, playing the quite lengthy introduction to the F major concerto crisply but elegantly, in a style that is clearly historically-informed but that wears its period manners lightly. Borisov’s entry is also a model of gentleness and clarity, and it is evident from an early stage that his partnership with Griffiths will be a close and mutually sympathetic one. They capture the sophisticated playfulness of the opening allegro most convincingly, but already hint at the darkness that – as always with Mozart – lurks only just beneath the surface. This quality is more evident in the second movement larghetto, taken rather faster than usual, but flowing songfully through some achingly beautiful string phrases and an emotionally probing cadenza. As often, I felt a little short-changed by Mozart’s choice of minuet form for the principal theme of his rondo finale, and have certainly heard the movement dispatched more dashingly than it is here by Borisov and Griffiths, but their gently dancing, consistently sensitive approach has its own logic and bears its own rewards.
Certainly Griffiths’ solemn and powerful opening tutti to the C major concerto K. 415 strikes the listener as an effective contrast to what has gone before, and establishes that work’s rather more ceremonial manner effectively from the outset. Borisov then matches him with playing that is consistently fresh, technically deft and, again, emotionally eventful. The darker mood of the first movement’s development section is, for example, well captured, as – perhaps especially – is that of the two highly original adagio episodes of the rondo finale. Borisov integrates these well into the movement’s overall structure, but also conveys their very real anguish in ways that eschew sentimentality but nevertheless pack an emotional punch. Similarly, the lovely central andante is played very beautifully but also searchingly, in a way that reflects Borisov’s own conviction that Mozart’s music is full of contradictions – “simple and complex, transparent and dense, clear and unpredictable, all at the same time”.
The otherwise rather uninformative sleeve note, from which this quotation is taken, tells us that, remarkably, these concerto recordings constitute Borisov’s first performances of the works in question. Given their insight, poise and thoroughgoing sense of style, that seems almost incredible; I could perceive no signs of inexperience or immaturity, and enjoyed the performances enormously.
If Borisov’s Mozart is precociously distinguished, however, that of the oboist Gabriel Pidoux is positively stellar. In the Oboe Concerto K. 314, Griffiths conducts the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, whose smaller body of strings makes one slightly more aware of the prevailing period style, but not in a way that is at all detrimental. As to Pidoux, one is struck immediately by the sheer beauty of his tone, clear as a bell but rounded and sweet. His stylish and subtle account of the opening allegro aperto also conveys an appropriate degree of the ‘openness’ Mozart asks for, however, and throughout one is conscious of a strong musical personality at work. Pidoux’ account of the adagio non troppo slow movement is well paced and often ravishingly beautiful, but shows an acute awareness of Mozartian light and shade; and his closing rondo is as chirpily characterful as one could wish for. The cadenzas, meanwhile, are by Pidoux himself; they are appropriate for their surroundings, but also have an exploratory and improvisatory quality that confirm the impression that one is listening to a soloist of rare individuality and creativity. Some listeners might feel that the obviously birdsong-inspired cadenza in the third movement is a trifle overdone; personally, I loved it.
Overall, I found myself enjoying this disc even more than I thought I would. The youthful freshness and technical virtuosity I had anticipated are present in abundance, and the excellent and sometimes underrated Howard Griffiths in no way disappoints. What I had not expected, though, was to encounter performances of such stimulating maturity and, indeed, authority. Both Borisov and Pidoux come across as major talents on the verge of significant careers; the latter, indeed, seems already to be the finished article. Anyone listening to this disc will surely feel grateful for the opportunity to hear them and if, between them, they represent the future of Mozart concerto playing, then that future is bright indeed.
Nigel Harris
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