Hardly a perfunctory or obligatory entry in the Mozart celebrations, Kavafian and Osorio's makes a more lasting impression--not through research but through intensive personal exploration of the music's possibilities. Not perhaps perfect performances (Kavafian occasionally swallows a note in rapid figuration), these nevertheless rise easily to the top of what I've heard during this anniversary period, appealing more viscerally than Mutter and Orkis (on DVD, Deutsche Grammophon 4213, 31:4). Recently, Mark Steinberg and Mitsuko Uchida (Philips 80004115, 29:1) took a comparably individual look at Mozart's sonatas (though, in their case, one for a dark and stormy night); and Hilary Hahn's readings with Natalie Zhu (Deutsche Grammophon 477 5572, 29:3) also made a very deep impression of strong-mindedness. But Kavafian's and Osorio's performances belong on a Want List, and maybe even on a desert isle; and the recorded sound matches them.

- Robert Maxham, Fanfare