Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat major, K595

Artur Schnabel play Mozart

Not long after his February 1934 London Queen’s Hall concert comprising three Mozart concertos, Schnabel made his first recording of a Mozart piano concerto, No. 27 in B flat major, K.595, at the recently opened and well equipped Abbey Road Studios. Completed in one session, this recording is notable not only for the excellence of its sound but for the moulding of the slow movement, taken at a slow tempo, but without any loss of the tension between successive notes or of the coherence of harmonic progressions. Schnabel’s recording of the Concerto for two pianos, with his son Karl Ulrich, is made up entirely of first takes. In the Rondo in A minor, K.511, Schnabel beautifully shapes the phrases and avoids sentimentality or overt intensity of expression.

Mozart - The Last Concertos

This recording is the last of the triptych of CDs that the Freiburger Barockorchester has devoted to Mozart's concertos. His final instrumental work, the Clarinet Concerto, was written just a few months after the last Piano Concerto, No. 27 in 1791. In both cases, the performers have gone back to the original manuscripts to unearth the details of Mozart's own performing practice. If his markings are followed precisely, as here, it is possible to rediscover his fascinating variety of sonic perspectives. Lorenzo Coppola completed his diploma in Classical clarinet under the guidance of Eric Hoeprich at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Since then he has been one of the most sought-after clarinettists in the field of historical performance practice. He has played with such ensembles as La Petite Bande, Les Arts Florissants, the Orchestre des Champs-Élysées, the Orchestra of the 18th Century and the Freiburger Barockorchester. Lorenzo Coppola also performs chamber repertoire with Ensemble Zefiro, Ensemble Philidor, the Académie Sainte-Cécile, Harmonie Bohémienne and Düsseldorfer Hofmusik. Undoubtedly one of the most prominent keyboard performers in the world,Andreas Staier embarked upon a solo career in 1986 and, since then, his indisputable musical mastery has made its mark on the interpretation of Baroque, Classical and Romantic repertoire. He has formed a highly successful trio with violinist Daniel Sepec and cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras; they have recently recorded their first CD, of Beethoven, for harmonia mundi.His extensive discography has won critical praise from the international press, whether for BMG,Teldec or hm for whom he has released his last five recordings: Mozart's Sonatas in two CDs; Haydn concertos with the Freiburger Barockorchester; Hamburg 1734, with the German harpsichordist Christine Schornsheim; and, more recently, Beethoven's sonatas for violin and piano, with Daniel Sepec performing on Beethoven's own instrument. In February 2007, and again with Christine Schornsheim,Andreas Staier released a cd dedicated to a very special instrument: the Stein 'vis-à-vis’.

Sviatoslav Richter

Recorded: Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh Festival, 13 June 1967

Mozart - Piano Concertos Vol. 10

Daniel Barenboim

(Recorded 1967 & 1971)