Ronald Brautigam - Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos (2019) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

This is the ninth installment in Ronald Brautigam's series of the complete piano concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. As on previous discs, Brautigam whose 'muscular yet sensitively nuanced command of Mozartian discourse' (BBC Music Magazine) is supported by Die Kölner Akademie under Michael Alexander Willens. The opening work on this installment is the C major concerto, K 415, which was first performed on 23rd March 1783 in the presence of Emperor Joseph II. K 415 was composed in conjunction with the Concerto No. 11 in F major, K 413, which in contrast is a more intimate creation, especially in its Larghetto middle movement, in which Mozart achieves some of his most memorable writing, with the various textures of the orchestra providing a cushion of sound for a delicious cantabile aria for the piano a model that was to become almost a trademark of his later concerto slow movements. The disc closes with Concerto No. 8 in C major, K 246, composed some six years earlier. Mozart wrote it for Countess Antonia Lützow, one of his father's pupils, and in terms of technical difficulty, it is among the least demanding of his piano concertos which nevertheless didn't stop Mozart from performing it himself on several occasions.

"Here is Brautigam at his best." (Gramophone)

"Captured in stunning, vital sound, Ronald Brautigham gives stylish, involved performances of three Mozart piano concertos that deserve more frequent airings. Recommended." (BBC Music Magazine)

Tracklist:
1. Rondo brillant in E-Flat Major, Op. 29, MWV O 10 10:32
2. Piano Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25, MWV O 7: I. Molto allegro con fuoco 07:16
3. Piano Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25, MWV O 7: II. Andante 04:56
4. Piano Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25, MWV O 7: III. Presto - Molto allegro vivace 06:10
5. Capriccio brillant in B Minor, Op. 22, MWV O 8 10:31
6. Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 40, MWV O 11: I. Allegro appassionato 09:05
7. Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 40, MWV O 11: II. Adagio. Molto sostenuto 05:36
8. Piano Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 40, MWV O 11: III. Finale. Presto scherzando 06:34
9. Serenade und Allegro giojoso, Op. 43, MWV O 12: I. Andante 05:20
10. Serenade und Allegro giojoso, Op. 43, MWV O 12: II. Allegro giojoso 06:43

Personnel:
Ronald Brautigam, piano
Die Kölner Akademie
Michael Alexander Willens, conductor