Christian Zacharias generally brings thoughtful, poetic readings to Mozart's piano concertos. He gives the music a strong, clear left hand to set beside the filigree finger work of the right hand. His right-hand work is well thought out, rarely ever just playing a scale, a line, a phrase, or a melody as is, but instead shades each phrase with intent and purpose.
Zacharias plays upon a modern piano and chooses a full, modern-instrument symphony orchestra to support him. Luckily, this is Mozart with the blood flowing, never afraid to find any inherent drama amongst the music's natural beauty and charm.
In my opinion, Zacharias excels with Günter Wand and David Zinman at the helm, each with their own beautiful-sounding German orchestras. The concertos with Neville Marriner in Stuttgart are still very good, although the Polish Chamber Orchestra under Jerzy Maksymiuk is not sonically heaven sent, nor is that conductor's readings of Mozart terribly inspired either.
There are a number of compilations of these performances. You can get just the one-piano concertos on EMI, this recording with the one- and two-piano concertos (plus the two-piano sonata), and another which adds all of the piano sonatas to all of the concertos. I don't care as much for Zacharias' set of sonatas, so this recording does the most for me.
As you can see from the list below, his earliest recordings were with Maksymiuk, which might explain the harsh quality of that orchestra. Zacharias spent the most time with David Zinman, and I find those collaborations excellent. I am not sure why the pianist never returned with Günter Wand, for that recording is simply outstanding, where the German conductor ends up showing his qualities as a fine Mozart-ian. Marriner works through most of the earlier concertos, and those are very good as well, even if others do them better. While no one is trumping Radu Lupu and Murray Perahia in Mozart's two-piano works, the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra sounds divine in these recordings, where Zacharias teams up with German pianist Marie-Luise Hinrichs.
Marriner: Piano Concertos 5, 6, 11, 16, 17, 18, 19
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra
Recorded 1988, 1990, 1991
Maksymiuk: Piano Concertos 8, 9, 12, 14
Polish Chamber Orchestra
Recorded 1982 & 1984
Zinman: Piano Concertos 13, 15, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26
English Chamber Orchestra
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Recorded 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991
Wand: Piano Concertos 24 & 27
North-German Radio Symphony Orchestra
Recorded 1986
Zacharias & Hinrichs: Piano Concerto 7 &10; Two-Piano Sonata, K. 448
Bamberg Symphony Orchestra
Recorded 1995
While I might have personal tastes with the driver behind these orchestras, Christian Zacharias is remarkably consistent throughout this set. The pianist's ornamentations and embellishments are always tasteful, although sometimes of his own interpolations, as are the handful of cadenzas of his own making, never getting in the way of Mozart's music.
Three of Zacharias' own cadenzas include some oddities, however, although each are very brief. There is one which lets the orchestra in on the action instead of just solo piano, another with leads into music-box bells, and an unusual splicing in of a historic recording over a big orchestra cadenza lead-in. Three tiny moments do not ruin anything at all for this listener, but purists should be wary, plus Zacharias adds antics to Mozart's piano sonatas as well.
As far as complete sets of Mozart's piano concertos go, no set will give the listener complete satisfaction. This is my favorite for Zacharias' consistent excellence and execution. Refer to my individual looks into the concertos to get more detailed adulations and quibbles.
Listen on YouTube
If you are not opposed to digital media, I would steer listeners towards the recordings with Zinman and Wand (pictures on the videos below).
But if you like Zacharias' approach to Mozart, I don't think there would be any disappointment with this set.
These concertos certainly stand high, with even the lesser performances here still rating very good to excellent.
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