Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 18 in D major, K576 'Hunt'

There is something special about the works of Mozart’s last years. Purified of all excesses, these subtle, delicate works, full of nostalgia, seem to belong to an otherworldly realm. After a period of unprecedented formal development in the mid 1780s, Mozart unexpectedly adopted a leaner, more conservative direction in his compositional style towards the end of the decade, willfully avoiding the dramatic flair and grandeur that characterized the compositions of the preceding years. In fact the very restraint of these late works is what seems to give them their almost heart-breaking poignancy.

With this CD, Ludwig Sémerjian continues his project of recording the complete Mozart sonatas on period instruments. Here he plays on an 1804 pianoforte made by Nannette Streicher, née Stein. Its pure, light timbre perfectly matches the subtle and refined mood of Mozart's last works for piano.

A unique master musician, de Valmalète's interpretations are not bound to any time. Her individuality shone throughout a life which lasted one hundred years. Her performance of Ravel's Tombeau de Couperin is the first recording ever made of the work. A memoir by Idil Biret is included in the text. These recordings reveal de Valmalète as one of the greatest pianists of the Twentieth Century.