Click here to see all products in our store!

* International Buyers - Please Note:

Import Duties & Taxes Policy

United States
All shipments to the U.S. are sent DDP (Delivered Duty Paid). Import duty, taxes and brokerage are prepaid — no extra payment at delivery.

Other Countries
Unless duties/taxes are already collected by eBay at checkout, shipments are sent DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid) and the buyer is responsible for import VAT/GST, duty, and carrier fees on delivery.

* Description

A little-known masterpiece of Mozart concertos by Clifford Curzon and Benjamin Britten: an immortal classic

This is a sublime concerto performed by two men who devoted themselves with almost fanatical passion to Mozart: Clifford Curzon (1907–82) and Benjamin Britten (1913–76).

When Carzon passed away at the age of 75, obituaries in Britain and the United States hailed him as “one of the world’s greatest pianists,” while in Germany he was highly praised as “a master pianist capable of expressing pure and noble beauty.” He was indeed one of the leading pianists of the 20th century and the first pianist in Britain to be knighted in 1977.

However, the fact that he is surprisingly little known in Japan is likely due to the fact that he never visited the country and left behind few recordings.

Yet, this was rooted in his consistent artistic principles.

Born in London, Carson was recognized by the renowned conductor Henry Wood at the age of 16. After his debut, his exceptional talent attracted attention, and from 1928, he studied for two years under the master Schnabel, who made a tremendous contribution to the popularization of 20th-century classical music and Schubert.

After making his debut in Berlin in 1930, he established himself in Europe—primarily in London—from 1932 onward, gaining worldwide renown. While he performed many brilliant Romantic works at the time, he later limited his repertoire to the Classical composers and early Romantics—Schubert, Schumann, Liszt, and Brahms—whom he had consistently focused on since the beginning of his career, thereby further cementing his reputation.

In the 1970s, he focused almost exclusively on Mozart and Schubert, becoming such a Mozart specialist that he performed at the Salzburg Festival—held in the sacred home of Mozart—from 1955 to 1978.

This album features a lineup of the repertoire in which he excelled most.

[Track List]

Disc 1

Side A

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:

Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466

Movement 1: Allegro

Movement 2: Romance

Side B

Movement 3: Rondo. Allegro assa

Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat major, K. 595

Movement 1: Allegro

Disc 2

Side A

Movement 2: Larghetto

Movement 3: Allegro

Side B

Franz Schubert: Moments Musicaux, D. 780, Op. 94

No. 1 in C major

No. 2 in A-flat major

No. 3 in F minor

No. 4 in C-sharp minor

No. 5 in F minor

No. 6 in A-flat major

[Performers] Sir Clifford Curzon (piano), The English Chamber Orchestra

[Conductor] Benjamin Britten

[Recorded] September 24, 1970 (No. 20), September 25, 1970 (No. 27), February 4–6, 1971 (Schubert)

Snape Maltings Concert Hall, Suffolk, UK

“Carson did not welcome unexpected visitors in the studio or control room who might disrupt his pure musical focus, and visitors were strictly prohibited.” (Producer: Ray Minshall)

Although Carson was not extremely averse to recording, he was a pianist who required meticulous care during sessions and pursued the most perfect expression. Consequently, he devoted his free time to study and practice, and he was a performer who gave producers a hard time, as there were many pieces he did not authorize for release even after recording was complete.

It is said that he proposed recording a complete set of Mozart’s piano concertos—a major part of his repertoire—to Decca in the 1960s, but only a single disc, featuring the 23rd and 24th concertos recorded in 1967 with Kertész and the London Philharmonic, was released during his lifetime.

This recording was also released in 1982, twelve years after it was made, following his death.

This is where the essence of Carson lies as a pianist who devoted his life to music and art.

As a perfectionist and uncompromising seeker, Carson was never satisfied with any single performance as his definitive Mozart interpretation. His attachment to the 27th Concerto was particularly strong; despite having collaborated on it with his compatriot Britten, he refused to grant permission for the release of this recording because he valued the new insights and interpretations he had gained in later concerts.

He had previously refused to grant permission for the release of recordings from 1964 with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Szell and from 1967 with the London Philharmonic conducted by Kertész.

He finally gave his consent in 1978, but only on the condition that he be allowed to record a fourth new interpretation of the work.

However, Britten was no longer alive.

Due to Carzon’s own health issues, no new recording was made, and this work was released posthumously as a memorial album.

Although the Szell and Kertész recordings were released later, it can be said that this work—the only one Carzon approved of with Britten—represented the No. 27 and No. 20 that Carzon had sought.

Britten, the collaborator on these two works—now widely regarded as Carzon’s finest Mozart recordings—was, needless to say, a leading composer of the 20th century and a British master who also excelled as a conductor and pianist, performing works other than his own.

As a conductor, he became a regular at the Aldeburgh Festival starting in 1961, performing his own works with the English Chamber Orchestra. He also left behind a considerable number of recordings, including works by J.S. Bach. Like Carson, he held a deep affection for Mozart—the composer he revered most—and recorded nearly all of Mozart’s major symphonies.

This LP also includes Schubert’s *Moments Musicaux*, a work to which Carson devoted particular attention and which has never been released on Super Audio CD.

It has been newly remastered using the equipment and cables of the Esoteric Mastering Center.

His performance of Schubert is another highlight of this LP, making for a delightful track brimming with Carson’s charm.

The recording engineer is Kenneth Wilkinson.

He is a master craftsman whom Decca is proud to have as the successor to Gordon Parry, who worked on the famous “Ring Cycle.”

The recording venue, Moltings, is a concert hall in Snaybe, Suffolk, in eastern England, housed in a building originally constructed as a brewery in the 19th century.

Since 1967, it has served as the main venue for the Aldeburgh Festival, and it was here that Britten conducted nearly all of his performances in his later years—not only his own works but also the Brandenburg Concertos, the St. John Passion, and symphonies by Mozart and Schubert.

And the sound here is the greatest charm of this recording.

It has a character distinct from the usual so-called Decca sound.

It is clear, well-separated, lustrous, and dynamic. That sound which captivated not only music fans but also audiophiles during the analog era… combined with the beauty of the resonance, the warmth, the blend of the various instruments, and the smooth sound quality—this is the exceptional sound found here.

We were able to achieve our goal by remastering this sound—which was difficult to reproduce on CD—at the Esoteric Mastering Center.

This time, we hope you will experience on LP not just the quality of the sound, but also the atmosphere of the hall, which is evident in the musicians’ breathing and the timing of their pauses.

* Shipping

We ship using FedEx, DHL and UPS or Japan Post.

* Payment

We usually ship within 3〜7 business days of receiving cleared payment.