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ESOTERIC - MOZART PIANO CONCERTOS **200 GM LP**

Limited Edition Esoteric Master Press Series Vinyl Presents Mozart’s Piano Concertos with Clifford Curzon and Benjamin Britten

1,000 pcs of this title will be pressed, only a very small number of those are coming to the US market!

Originally recorded in the fall of 1970, this recording of Mozart piano concertos is a masterpiece; a collaboration of two of the world's finest classical minds and ardent  Mozart admirers, virtuoso pianist Clifford Curzon and master conductor Benjamin Britten.  The recording session for this work was dominated by musical rather than technical considerations and the first day of recording went so well that after only two sessions, both pieces had been recorded and were approved later that evening!  After only a few days of editing, this work was completed to everyone's satisfaction.  Truly a rare collaboration and certainly an even rarer performance.

Sir Clifford Curzon was among the finest English pianists of the twentieth century, known for his clear, ego-less performances of the German Classical and Romantic masterpieces.  A quiet intellectual with formidable technique, his fans would frequently comment on his ability to emphasize the personality of each composer, rather than his own.  Mozart's final piano concerto K.595 was central to Mr. Curzon's musical personality for at least the last half of his life and revealed much of his attitude towards performance and recording.  He was virtually hypnotized by the piece as a source of endless variation in phrasing, touch and meaning.

Considered by many to be considered the greatest British musical genius since Purcell, Benjamin Britten was both composer and conductor with wide-ranging talents.  By his death in 1976, he was recognized as one of the principal musical figures of the twentieth century.

Melding the obsessive, meticulous and passionate elements of these two renowned talents, both of whom held Mozart in ultimate regard, this recording is charming and intimate. 

This Esoteric Master Press Recording is one of a select few titles available from Esoteric Company of Japan.  Every title in the Master Press Recordings Series has been remastered by Esoteric and pressed by JVC using the best possible processes and procedures available. The goal of this project is to provide the closest experience possible to the original master tape. 

Esoteric meticulously remastered the original master tape to DSD under the watchful eye of Esoteric's president Motoaki Ohmachi.  This project was given unfettered access to the world's best equipment, including Esoteric's flagship D/A converters, Master Clock Generators & Esoteric Mexcel cables.  The jaw-dropping results were then released on hybrid SACD, to instant acclaim and worldwide demand.

But Ohmachi-san wanted to showcase vinyl as well, so Esoteric approached JVC Mastering Center in Japan, world renowned for their outstanding remastering work.  Through extensive testing and listening sessions, Ohmachi-san and the remastering engineer agreed, the best source was actually the DSD master created for the SACDs.  Although using the DSD master resulted in a single additional D/A conversion stage in the signal path, the sonic superiority of the DSD master was clear. 

The cutting process used custom-made Neumann gear, specially built to Esoteric's specs by JVC using no filters, EQ or other devices, which created an exceptionally pure and uncluttered signal path.

This collaboration between JVC and Esoteric has resulted in vinyl recordings that are unprecedented in their faithfulness to the original master tape.  Master Press Recordings are pressed directly from the lacquer master, a process which eliminates two full steps in the pressing process.  Every single record in this series is pressed in this manner, with no intermediate copies used in the pressing process. Combined with the superior groove depth that only 200Gm vinyl can offer, Esoteric's Master Press Recordings offer transparency, immediacy and power unlike anything heard on vinyl before.

W.A. Mozart (1756-1791)
Piano Concerto No.20 K.466 & No.27 K.595

[SIDE ONE]     Piano Concerto No.20 in D Minor K.466
1. 1st. Mov. : Allegro
2. 2nd. Mov. : Romance
3. 3rd. Mov. : Rondo (Allegro assai)

[SIDE TWO]     Piano Concerto No.27 in B Flat Major K.595
1. 1st. Mov. : Allegro
2. 2nd. Mov. : Larghetto
3. 3rd. Mov. : Allegro

Performance
Sir Clifford Curzon (Piano)
English Chamber Orchestra
Conducted by Benjamin Britten
Recording
Producer: Ray Minshull
Engineer: Kenneth Willkinson
Location: Maltings, Snape
Recording date: September 1970

Re-mastering
Producer: Motoaki Ohmachi (ESOTERIC COMPANY)
Mastering Engineer: Kazuie Sugimoto (JVC Mastering Center)
Date: August 26, 2008 at JVC Mastering Center.

Cutting
Cutting Engineer: Toru Kotetsu (JVC Mastering Center)

Date: February 2009 at JVC Mastering Center
Cutting Lathe: Neumann VMS70 (JVC Special Custom Manufacture)
Cutting Head: Neumann SX-74
Cutter Drive Amplifier: Neumann SP-75 (JVC Special Custom Manufacture)