Aural histories, the next gen

It might seem sheer folly for young artists to make new recordings of well-known concertos. They are competing with the great soloists of the past 100 years in a marketplace glutted with standard repertory. Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” to take but one example, has been recorded more than 200 times. Still, we count on each new crop of musicians to keep music alive.

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Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 17 and 20

Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Piotr Anderszewski, piano and conductor. (Virgin Classics)

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THESE elegant, unblemished performances of two of the composer’s most significant piano concertos -- the songful G major, K. 453, and the stoic D minor, K. 466 -- are models of style, polish and containment. Anderszewski is an articulate pianist who caresses details yet always maintains transparency and balance. His impeccable technique and musical astuteness let Mozart’s music speak for itself. The orchestra plays splendidly.

-- Daniel Cariaga