"Gieseking was a formidable pianist and a commanding interpreter of Beethoven and Mozart…. He had an elegance, technical security, and taste that were eminently suited to these two composers. Nothing sounds forced, superficially slick, or unidiomatic. The very opening of the Fourth Concerto, for example … has a lyric grace that was far more relevant to the score than the choppy staccato phrasing, say, of Rubinstein in some of his recordings of the work. And in No. 5, Gieseking is technically more secure than Schnabel in his last two recordings of the work…. But Karajan in this performance [of the two Mozart concertos] is at his intense best, driving the music forward where apt and clarifying its eerie chromaticism. And, on its own terms, Gieseking's playing is often beautiful and aptly delicate."—American Record Guide