This new release contains two of Mozart's greatest concertos. 1784 found the 28-year-old Mozart at the peak of his popularity in Vienna, if we can judge by the fact that he composed no less than six piano concertos during that year. Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453 was written in the early spring. Mozart completed it, according to the date he noted on the score and his recently-begun work-catalogue, on April 12. Scored for a small orchestra without clarinets, trumpets, or drums, K. 453 is one of the most graceful of all Mozart's concertos, typically mingling a sense of gaiety with melancholic undertones. A year and a half after the first performance of Concerto No. 17, Mozart completed Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat, K 482, which he entered as completed into his work-catalog on December 16, 1785. Urbane and aristocratic in character, it gains a regal warmth of sound from the orchestra's inclusion of clarinets instead of oboes - the first time Mozart had done so in a concerto. Vassily Primakov plays Mozart's own cadenzas in K. 453, and those of Camille Saint-Saëns in K. 482.
Reviews:
“Primakov’s approach is very clean and well articulated...In the outer movements of K482, Primakov’s tempi sound absolutely natural, particularly in the finale, which he imbues with a quiet glee.” - Gramophone
“Primakov is a scrupulous pianist...The orchestral playing is also of a very high standard, and forms a genuine partnership with the soloist. The recording is at a high volume level and has a realistic balance between the piano and orchestra. This is natural and compelling choice for those who like their Mozart at the delicate and precise end of the spectrum.” - MusicWeb International
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Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, K. 482
Concerto No. 17 in G major, K. 453
Vassily Primakov, piano
Odense Symphony Orchestra
Scott Yoo, conductor
BRIDGE 9351
Related Primakov discs:
9251, 9278, 9283, 9289, 9300, 9309, 9315, 9322, 9327, 9328A/B, 9339, 9350