Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 17 & 24— Orli Shaham; St. Louis Symphony/David Robertson (Canary Classics 18)
Classicfm.com says of this August 2019 release: “American pianist Orli Shaham – described by the Chicago Tribune as a ‘first-rate Mozartean’ – takes on Mozart’s showy No. 17 and 24 concertos. For this disc, she is joined by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra under the baton of David Robertson. And here’s a bit of trivia for you: this is the first studio recording released in over 15 years by the orchestra – we think this gem makes it very much worth the wait.” TheClassicReview.com has this take: “The St. Louis Symphony was once one of the most recorded American orchestras and it is good to hear them again and in such fine form. Shaham is an exceptionally fine pianist, well partnered by David Robertson. These performances are beautifully caught by the sound engineers, with a realistic balance between orchestra and piano. Even in a tremendously competitive field, these are performances that are well worth hearing.” Kudos to local producer Erica Brenner who served as Recording Producer & Editor for this project. If this all sounds like a labor of love, it may be because pianist and conductor first met at a 1999 St. Louis Symphony concert—the SLSO debut for both of them—and they married four years later!