W. A. Mozart: Double Concerto; F. Gulda, Chick Corea: Compositions
Vinyl, freshly acquired.
Interestingly, the first concerto on this record, Mozart’s Double Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra No.10 in E flat major, K.365 (which Mozart wrote in 1779 shortly before leaving Salzburg and moving to Vienna), feels more “dialogical” than both Corea’s “Fantasy” or Gulda’s “Ping Pong,” both pieces for two pianos. Why that is the case, I can only guess—but my guess would be that there is a reason why, among other things, serious music is generally differentiated from other musical traditions by being notated, a characteristic that allows for more structural “deep linking” than picking up, and elaborating on, elements by ear and on the fly. The performance, overall, isn’t groundbreaking, but fun to listen to, and I found it enjoyable.
Chick Corea’s “Fantasy for Two Pianos” is well-structured and strongly reminiscent of impressionist music with a dash of latin-flavored neoclassicism. Gulda’s “Ping Pong” hides some musically interesting ideas like eastereggs in a lot of clutter, sandwiched between two weighty stylistically frazzled manifestos.
If you have something valuable to add or some interesting point to discuss, I’ll be looking forward to meeting you at Mastodon!