Recorded live in Vienna, in the Mozartsaal of the Konzerthaus, these performances have a warmth and immediacy which speak of a strong two-way communication between Alfred Brendel and the Alban Berg Quartet, not really artists whom you would imagine collaborating easily. If Brendel is fresh and forward in his playing to match the Quartet, it's the four string players who seem to have modified their style. There is greater warmth and flexibility here than you expect in studio recordings of Mozart from these players, as, for example, in the introduction to the rapt Andante of the concerto. This is playing of Beethovenian gravity, intensified still further on the entry of the piano.
Though the booklet describes this version of K414 as an arrangement by Mozart, in fact he did nothing to change the original concerto score, simply stating that the wind parts could be left out, and the string parts be played by a simple quartet. Any problems of balance are shrugged off in this inspired performance, which projects its spontaneous interplay even more winningly than did Brendel's studio version of the regular Concerto (Philips, 5/91). And the EMI recording makes him sound brighter and more forward than he does on the analogue Philips. In the first movement the tempo is a little broader this time, while the Andante is a shade faster, even though, thanks to its dedication, you hardly notice.
The Piano Quartet enjoys an equally illuminating performance, the Alban Berg leader, Gunther Pichler, being encouraged to play with an expressive warmth more intense than usual and with Brendel at his most sparkling in the finale, his articulation crystal-clear. The recording is bright, immediate and well balanced to match. You would hardly know that an audience was present, except for the applause at the end of the quartet (but not after the concerto). A highly enjoyable disc, though if the same artists follow it up with the G minor Piano Quartet, I wonder which concerto they will choose since Mozart suggested similar chamber treatment for both K413 and K415.'