Jean-Efflam Bavouzet - Mozart: Piano Concertos, Vol. 11 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Jean-Efflam Bovouzet's acclaimed cycle of Mozart's piano concertos reaches it's conclusion with this twelfth volume. The programme offers a suitably celebratory mood the Overtures to Idomeneo and La finta semplice frame the A major and D major Rondos for piano and orchestra and the Concerto for three pianos, and ends with the double piano concerto. Bavouzet comments InchAs one reaches the conclusion of a series of recordings that has stretched over a long period of time, the feeling of fulness at having arrived at one's goal always blends with an immediate sense of nostalgia for the recording sessions, marvellous moments engaged in the search for a truth that always remains beyond reach. After a span of nine years, we arrive at the end of this complete recording project with the devoted members of Manchester Camerata and my friend Gábor Takács-Nagy. Gábor's plan to combine them with operatic overtures was certainly most appealing, but the task of playing the entirety of this enormous corpus of concertos seemed to me gigantic! And then a few considerations very quickly made me conscious that a rare opportunity now presented itself to me, which it would have been ill-advised to pass up this intense musical fellowship with Gábor and the joy of making music with him, the excellence of the members of Manchester Camerata and their untiring energy and suppleness in accepting our continual musical 'experimentations', and, finally, the wonderful chance for once in my life to have at my side a born, inspiring Mozartian, my wife, Andrea Nemecz.Inch

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet's survey of Haydn's piano sonatas reaches it's conclusion with this 11th and final volume. As with the previous releases, the acclaimed pianist has included repertoire from different periods of Haydn's career to create a recital of interest in it's own right, as well as the completion of the series. Jean-Efflam notes 'It has been eleven years since the launch of this project to present Haydn's sonatas, not in their chronological order, but as collections juxtaposing works from different periods. The program for this final album was actually the first one to be devised I wanted to place side by side the very first and the very last sonata. Then the idea of fleshing out the sonata cycle with other major pieces began at volume four, with the addition of the famous Variations in F minor, and finally this last volume is made up of as many sonatas as other types of works. The complete series is thus able to offer music lovers all the sonatas identified to date, together with the other major keyboard works.'

The three concertos featured on this album were composed together in 1782 / 83 - shortly after Mozart had left his patron and position in Salzburg to establish himself as a freelance composer and performer in Vienna. The concertos were all performed by the composer in a series of subscription concerts that he gave in the city. All share the same form - opening movement in sonata form, slow movement in ternary form, and a bright rondo finale. Despite these similarities, though, each piece has it's own distinct character and identity; such was the extent of Mozart's genius for invention. Although formally scored for strings with wind, horns, trumpets, and timpani, Mozart also offered them to his to be performed 'a quatro' - for strings only. These would be the last concertos he wrote in which this would be possible, and it is certainly likely that it reflected a need to earn greater income as opposed to being a purely artistic decision. As in the rest of this series, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet is joined by the Manchester Camerata and Gábor Takács-Nagy, who open the album with a dazzling performance of the Overture to Die Entführung aus dem Serail, which dates from the same period.