MOZART:PIANO CONCERTOS:NO.15 K.450/NO.23 K.488/NO.24 K.491:SOLOMON(p)/O.ACKERMANN(cond)/PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA/ETC(1953/1955)

Coming from 1955, the year before the stroke that ended his career at the age of 54, Solomon's recordings of Mozart's A major and C minor piano concertos remain among the supreme examples of his art. Solomon Cutner -- he stopped using his last name shortly after he made his first public appearance at 12 -- was a marvel and a wonder: he was a technically flawless, tonally faultless, emotionally guileless, and above all deeply spiritual pianist who loved music with a pure and joyous love that could not help but stir his listeners. If that sounds like an apt description of Mozart, too, well, that's what made Solomon such an ideal Mozart player. In these recordings with Herbert Menges and the Philharmonia providing the supple and sensitive accompaniment, Solomon turns in performances of such supreme artistry and profound humanity that anyone who loves music and life cannot help but respond with a grateful heart. His 1953 recording of the B flat Concerto with Otto Ackermann leading the Philharmonia with its arching lines, sculpted sonorities, and effortless structures is just as exalted and elevated. Although EMI's monaural sound may stretch the ears of listeners born into the digital era, even they may be struck by the recording's matchless sense of reality.