Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 24

Haskil’s name can draw attention straight to the keyboard, but these concertos establish important events before the soloist enters. No. 20 begins with orchestral tension; in No. 24 the winds behave as participants with material of their own. Clara Haskil, Igor Markevitch and the Lamoureux orchestra invite attention to the ensemble before and between the piano’s appearances.

The performances were recorded in Paris in November 1960 and issued in 1961. They are distinct from Haskil’s recordings of the 1950s and compilations mixing different conductors. Mozart’s two minor-key piano concertos, No. 20 in D minor and No. 24 in C minor, each have three movements. The chosen six-track distribution belongs to the Philips Legacy reissue programme; identical mastering across earlier reissues is not asserted. Composition dates and recording dates remain separate.

Drama before the solo entrance

No. 20 does not immediately present a display at the keyboard. The orchestra acts first, before the piano introduces its material. Skipping to the solo entrance would remove the conditions of that encounter. The difference between a large ensemble and one keyboard need not become a contest with winners and losers. Entering an already charged setting is itself an event. Attend to the order of appearances written into the work, alongside the performer’s reputation.

The Romance contains another scene

The second movement cannot be understood from its opening melody alone. A more agitated central passage interrupts the lyrical stretches, changing the activity of piano and ensemble. Returning calm has acquired a history. That contrast makes the movement more than an interval of rest. Rather than applying a general image of Haskil’s gentleness, consider the differing demands that this particular movement places on keyboard and orchestra.

Winds and variation in No. 24

Oboes and clarinets share an unusually large wind group, whose contribution extends beyond reinforcing strings. Independent responses can be missed if piano is the sole protagonist. The finale develops through variations, unlike the rondo ending of No. 20. Ask what an idea retains while its setting changes. Such differences resist a single label of darkness. The six movements’ specific designs offer a fuller entrance than allowing the pianist’s late biography to explain every musical choice.