This final disc in Frank Peter Zimmermann's Mozart concerto cycle on EMI is, like its predecessors, enjoyable and in no way controversial. In terms of total playing time it may not be the most generous CD around, but if you are not fussy about duration you can be sure of a pleasant listening experience. Does 'pleasant' sound like damnation with faint praise? I'm afraid that's unavoidable, simply, these are not very memorable performances. I've listened through the disc three times now, yet Zimmermann's playing still fails to leave the kind of distinctive impression registered by Perlman (DG), Kantorow (Denon) and Sitkovetsky (Novalis/ASV)—this despite his obvious musicality and technical command.
It's very difficult to put one's finger on a single errant detail or unpleasing quality: everything is done with taste and executed with confidence and skill, and his use of cadenzas by David Oistrakh in the concerto shows him deferring in very much the right direction. I suppose it all comes down to character—something Perlman and Kantorow possess in abundance and Sitkovetsky in moderation. Perlman and Kantorow may offend some listeners, one can't imagine Zimmermann causing offence—is he perhaps too cautious? A pity—just a little more elan and these might have been really considerable interpretations.'