Jan Lisiecki’s Chopin concerto recording with Howard Shelley received justified plaudits in 2010 and he now joins another pianist-conductor for his DG debut, coupling Mozart’s two most popular concertos. Earlier this year he performed the D minor, K466, at the Barbican, giving urgent notice of a promising Mozartian; the BBC SO and Bělohlávek were hardly idiomatic accompanists on that occasion but here he is in the more sympathetic company of the Bavarian RSO and Christian Zacharias.

Lisiecki sees these complementary works in terms as much of their similarities as of their differences and shows himself cognisant of the playfulness that undercuts the darkness of K466 and the shadows that threaten the serenity of its C major sister. He is keen not to allow slow movements to drag, enabling the piano (with its innate attack and decay) to provide a singing line in this essentially vocally inspired music; there’s no hint of sentimentality to bedevil the C major’s Andante – a more turbulent piece than its pretty tune and certain associations lead
many to consider it.

The accompaniment is just as fine, demonstrating the advantage of having a fellow pianist as conductor. Not only do the piano and (especially) woodwinds seem integrated into a more seamless ‘conversation’ than you often hear but considerations of blend have also been taken seriously into account. For example, the oboe statement of the second idea in K466’s first-movement exposition is bang in tune, a far cry from the queasy near-octave that blights so many attempts. And after Beethoven’s cadenza injects a dose of Revolutionary fervour into Mozart’s differently clouded D minor, Zacharias audibly picks up on its energy for his orchestral epilogue.

Throughout, Lisiecki’s touch is exquisitely graded and his own cadenza for K467’s first movement demonstrates his immersion in the style. Some may prefer the crystalline individualism of Pires or the theatricality of Vladar in this work, or the demoniac inspiration of Anderszewski in K466, but this is a noteworthy disc from an exciting talent.