This release is the penultimate disc of Ronald Brautigam, Michael Willen, and Die Kolner Akademie’s series of Mozart’s piano concertos. Included in this album are the Piano Concerto No. 5 in D Major, K. 175, Piano Concerto No. 6 in B-Flat Major, K. 238, and 3 Concertos after J.C. Bach, K. 107. Ronald Brautigam has earned a place as one of Holland’s most respected musicians, not only for his virtuosic performances, but also for his myriad of musical styles.

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.



MOZART Piano Concertos: No. 9 in E?, “Jeunehomme”; No. 12 in A. Rondo in A, K 386 • Ronald Brautigam (fp); Michael Alexander Willens, cond; Cologne Academy (period instruments) • BIS 1794 (SACD: 58:36)


When I read the announcement that Ronald Brautigam would be recording the complete piano concertos of Mozart for BIS, I fairly jumped for joy. For anyone who has followed the Dutch pianist’s career on record, as I have, it was clear from the beginning that he was born to record Mozart. This was confirmed when the Mozart sonata recordings were released on BIS. In them, Brautigam combines dazzling technical mastery and beautiful sound with the utmost attention and devotion to the score. Brautigam’s playing is all about brilliance and virtuosity, but he is capable of delivering in the slow movements as well, as we shall see.


It’s easy to say that any given artist is “in a class by himself.” Yet Brautigam’s specialization on the fortepiano truly sets him apart; next to Malcolm Bilson, he has made more recordings on this instrument than any other artist. No longer is the fortepiano a novelty; for many listeners, it has become an essential ingredient in a Mozart concerto. The crisp articulation, sparkling treble and clear bass of Brautigam’s Walter copy are exactly what the music requires. Now when I listen to a Mozart concerto played on modern piano, I find the sound dull and muddy by comparison, and the pianist often seems to be fighting with the instrument. I admit that this newfound attitude of mine is a significant sea change, considering that the heroes of my youth were pianists such as Schnabel, Haskil, Gieseking, Casadesus, Serkin, Brendel, and Rubinstein.


Perhaps less-well understood is Brautigam’s approach to phrasing. Scarcely a phrase goes by, even in the speediest prestos , that has not been personalized in some way. There is nothing perfunctory about his playing; every note has a place and purpose in the overall scheme. Brautigam accomplishes this primarily with dynamics, rather than with rubato in the manner of a harpsichordist. In that sense, you could call his performance style forward-looking, as it points to 19th-century Romanticism, rather than backward toward the Baroque. The five-octave Viennese fortepiano affords the player a wide range of dynamics, almost as much as the modern piano, and Brautigam takes full advantage of the resources at his disposal.


Aside from the various isolated period-instrument recordings that have appeared over the years, there have been exactly two complete traversals of the Mozart concertos on fortepiano: Malcolm Bilson and John Eliot Gardiner on Archiv, and Jos van Immerseel on Channel Classics. There is also one notable aborted series: Robert Levin and Christopher Hogwood on L’Oiseau-Lyre. The Bilson/Gardiner set was the first to appear and is still serviceable (it’s routinely offered at bargain-basement prices on the Internet), but was marred by some raucous oboe playing in the early concertos. The early digital sound is now out-of-date, making it a chore to listen to. I haven’t heard many of the van Immerseel CDs, but the performances I did hear were rather laid-back and uninvolving, while the recorded sound was too distant. The Levin/Hogwood set, which managed to log about two-thirds of the concertos before the breakup of the Universal Music Group, is the most engaging of the three. Professor Robert Levin of Harvard, the foremost Mozart expert on the planet, plays flawlessly; his on-the-spot cadenzas are a marvel and constant delight. The orchestral accompaniments are simply the best thing Hogwood has ever given us on disc. Yet there are also some drawbacks: Levin uses a different fortepiano for practically every concerto—the piano sound varies considerably as a result. At least one of the instruments is substandard and shouldn’t have been recorded at all. And then there is the ultimate hair-puller: Levin and Hogwood stopped before they got to four of the best-loved and greatest concertos: No. 21 in C Major, No. 24 in C Minor, No. 25 in C Major, and No. 27 in B?-Major.


The time is therefore ripe for a new complete set of the Mozart concertos on fortepiano. A comparison with the first CD in the Levin/Hogwood series (L’Oiseau-Lyre 443 328) and the new BIS CD is instructive, since they contain (almost) the same music. Only the Rondo K 386 is lacking on the older recording. Surprisingly, Levin and Brautigam adopt nearly identical tempos throughout. A measure-for-measure comparison of both pianists, however, reveals that while Levin’s passagework is as clean as a whistle, he often comes across as a bit cold and mathematical. Brautigam’s playing, on the other hand, brims with life and personality. He caresses and shapes every phrase; there is never any doubt what the message is or where the music is headed. And both the minor-mode Andantino of K 271 and the Andante of K 414 are deeply felt and affecting, proving that there’s more to Brautigam’s pianism than “glitter and be gay.”


The wild card in this new release is the Cologne Academy. Very few people on this side of the Atlantic have heard it or its CDs. The Fanfare Archive, for example, lists only one CD, a recording of an oratorio by Medner. On the present CD, the strings are very nicely in tune and unanimous but also a little thin in tone, due to the small size of the group (4-3-2-2-1). The liner notes hint, however, that the group will grow as required for the later works. The winds, consisting here of pairs of oboes and horns, are colorful and well behaved, although a bit too prominent in relation to the strings for my taste (or is it that the strings are undernourished?). The fiercest competition in the orchestral department comes from Hogwood’s Academy of Ancient Music; I admit to being partial to that group’s fullness and suavity of sound.


Typically for BIS, the recorded sound is rich and detailed. Every nuance of Brautigam’s piano is discernable, from the luminous treble to the growl of the low bass. The instrument is placed rather forward in relation to the ensemble, but the overall soundstage is deep, wide, and totally believable. The preceding remarks pertain to the SACD layer; these benefits are less obvious on the regular Redbook CD layer. Anyone who has played in a chamber ensemble with strings will be familiar with the slightly edgy sound of live violins, and SACD technology is ruthless in its ability to reproduce this characteristic. Be forewarned: The period violins on this recording can be a trifle piercing at times, but the simple solution is to cut back on the volume a bit.


Except for the Rondo K.386 (where the pianist supplies his own), Brautigam plays the cadenzas that Mozart composed in the final year of his life for most of the piano concertos, collected under the rubric K.624. There are two authentic cadenzas for second movement of K.414; Brautigam plays the first. Although no indication is given, the assumption is that Brautigam will continue to use authentic Mozart cadenzas in subsequent recordings.


A most auspicious beginning for the series—highly recommended.


FANFARE: Christopher Brodersen

The sixteenth volume of the 'Next Generation Mozart Soloists' series-the penultimate instalment in this collection dedicated to the younger generation of performers, produced in collaboration with the Orpheum Foundation-is fast becoming iconic. This instalment features a unique and already highly acclaimed soloist: the French pianist Marie-Ange Nguci. Under the baton of Howard Griffiths, she has recorded two of Mozart's major concertos, including the Concerto in D minor KV 466, the first piano concerto Mozart composed in a minor key, dated 10 February 1785 and performed the very next day to great acclaim by Mozart himself on a pedal piano played in a similar way to an organ. The programme also features the Concerto in E-flat major KV 482, composed at the end of that same year, 1785.

The fourth instalment in The Mozartists' projected seven-volume series, conducted by Ian Page, pairs two turbulent minor-key symphonies by Kraus and Haydn with operatic scenes featuring soprano Alexandra Lowe. Kraus's rarely heard Symphony in C minor, which Haydn predicted would be regarded as a masterpiece for centuries, sits alongside Haydn's own celebrated Farewell Symphony. Lowe brings both fire and pathos to arias from Antigona by Traetta and La finta giardiniera by Mozart, and to the climactic scene from Benda's melodrama Medea, a work Mozart so admired that he briefly hailed it as the future of opera.

The soprano (and ukulele player) Agathe Peyrat and the accordionist (and singer) Pierre Cussac form a unique duo, free-spirited and open to blending genres. In this programme, they embrace a classical repertoire, while putting their own spin on it "by turning the pieces into songs, with night and day as the theme." We discover an astonishing version of Mozart's Queen of the Night, melodies and opera arias by Debussy, Bizet, Saint-Saens, Puccini, Delibes and Wagner, as well as songs by Maurice Yvain, Charles Trenet, Andre Minvielle and Brigitte Fontaine, all arranged by the two artists, who play with every nuance between black and white, darkness and light: 'On this recording, light represents the great joy we feel when we play together - a joy we love to share."

Dr. Jerzy Kosmala, internationally acclaimed as a concert violist and pedagogue, has concertized throughout Europe, the former Soviet Union, Canada, North and South America, Asia, and South Africa, and has recordings on several record labels. He is a frequent guest artist and performer at the world's foremost Festivals, International Viola Congresses, Universities and Academies, and is a permanent jury member of virtually all of the most prestigious international competitions, including the Lionel Tertis, Geneva, Munich, Markneukirchen, Trapani, Primrose Viola Competition, Brahms Viola Competition, and the Concert Artist Guild International Competition in New York City.

Few conductors of Klaus Tennstedt's generation demonstrated such complete mastery of the Classical and Romantic repertoire from Beethoven to Mahler and Strauss, coupled with an intensity in live performance that was palpable. He was among the finest German conductors to emerge after the Second World War and was in constant demand with such orchestras as the New York Philharmonic the Boston Symphony, the Berlin Philharmonic and the London Philharmonic. Doremi's 8th volume of live recordings of Klaus Tennstedt feature symphonies by Haydn (No. 103 "Drumroll"), Mozart (No. 36 "Linz") and Tchaikovsky (the Pathetique), together with Janacek's Sinfonietta and Mozart's Piano Concerto No.26 with Bruno Leonardo Gelber.

There are projects that spring from a hunch and which, driven by conviction and hard work, eventually come to seem entirely natural. The 'Messes Breves' project is a bold initiative that brings together works rarely performed together, breathing new life into pieces that are all too seldom heard in concert or on record. To bring together on the same recording the Missa brevis in D minor of Mozart, the Orgelmesse of Haydn and the Missa brevis of Fabian Fiorini, a work commissioned especially for this project, manifests the desire to abandon a well-worn track and promote a repertory that is as demanding as it is profoundly alive. This condensed form, rich in emotion, encourages spiritual reflection, aesthetic appreciation and a deep connection with the timeless tradition of sacred music.

A very special grand wind ensemble piece, composed by Mr. Mozart' has been performed for this recording by wind players (and a double bass) of the orchestra of the Wiener Symphoniker under the baton of Milan Turkovic. The work being mentioned is Mozarts Wind Serenade No. 10 in B-flat major, K. 361, widely known as the 'Gran Partita'. The 'very special'-ness of this piece was not only awed-inspiring to contemporary audiences; until today the listener is filled with awe-stricken silence by the uncomparable stylistic variety, the grand musical arc spanning over seven movements and the extraordinary Mozartian melodic riches like with hardly any other work of musical history. Contributing to the impression of the work itself is the performer's unmatched expertise with interpreting Mozart and their Viennese playing wit which is audible with every single note.

Ivan Fischer and Channel Classics release a recording of Mozart's Don Giovanni with the Budapest Festival Orchestra. Recorded live in October 2025 at the spectacular Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, this is the first volume of a Mozart trilogy, with The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro to follow in the coming years. With a dream duo (Andre Schuen as Don Giovanni and Luca Pisaroni as Leporello) and a first-rate cast, Ivan Fischer presents his vision of Mozart's masterpiece: 'In a nutshell the first two bars of this opera describe the story: the fight between order and rebellion. The basses repeat their constant bottom note three times, finally overpowering the revolutionary syncopations of the violins. The energetic, defiant violin notes represent Don Giovanni, the man, who doesn't accept any rules, who doesn't know limits. He follows his own instincts, uses and misuses his power, his wealth, his servant, to follow one goal only: his passion. On this journey he kills, he hurts, damages others, without any remorse or even second thoughts. He is perfectly free, happy, liberated from inner doubts and outer control, from all the regulations of what we call morality.'

It was during his stay in Mannheim between October 1777 and March 1778 that Mozart received commissions for two string quartets with flute (K. 285 and K. 285a), an instrument that was in vogue at the time, likely because Prince-Elector Karl Theodor of Bavaria played the flute as an amateur in the capital of the Palatinate. A graphological study indicates that the quartet K. 285b was likely composed in 1786-87 in Vienna These works hold a special place in Anna Besson's heart, as the flutist performed them during one of her very first concerts on tour at the age of fifteen She was keen to include Hoffmeister's arrangement of sonata K311 'for the beauty of it's central movement and the extreme delicacy with which the publisher, a great friend of Mozart's, took the two hands of the keyboard and gracefully redistributed them between the flute and the strings.'

Mozart's piano trios mark a decisive moment in the evolution of chamber music, elevating the genre to new artistic heights. This critically acclaimed complete recording by the world-class ensemble Trio Parnassus captures that transformation with intellectual rigour and musical sensitivity. Both celebrated masterpieces and lesser-known fragments are presented in this thoughtfully curated edition, setting a benchmark for quality and artistic vision.

Following the success of her albums of Romantic and Late Romantic repertoire, Vilde Frang has recorded Mozart's Concertos Nos. 1 and 5 Turkish and the Sinfonia Concertante K364, enabling music lovers to hear the Norwegian violinist perform Classical repertoire on disc for the first time. The impetus for this album was a 2012 orchestral tour of Asia conducted by Jonathan Cohen in which Vilde performed Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5. The vibrancy of their musical collaboration was something both artists were keen to repeat and commit to disc. Vilde Frang is joined by Jonathan's Cohen's chamber orchestra, Arcangelo, and by violist Maxim Rysanov in the Sinfonia Concertante.

Mozart was a master at capturing the spirits of the instruments for which he wrote. This skill is perfectly exemplified here in the lighter-than-air Flute Concerto No.2, the sprightly and playful Bassoon Concerto and the interplay of the four soloists in the Sinfonia Concertante. These three exceptional works come to life in this studio recording with featuring soloists of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Principal Conductor Vladimir Jurowski.

From Another World is more than an album title : it's an invitation to travel across centuries, continents, and emotions. At it's heart lies an encounter between two musical traditions: the elegance and architecture of European classical music and the expressive pulse of Argentine tango. Bridging these worlds is Guttman Tango Quintet, formed by musicians who draw naturally from both traditions under the direction of violinist Michael Guttman. In From Another World, tango is not nostalgia. It is evolution. Just as Astor Piazzolla once liberated tango from the dance hall into the concert hall, Guttman dialogues with the classics that shaped Western music. Each track on this album begins with a familiar theme (Beethoven, Mozart, Mahler, Dvorak, and others) and let's it wander into Buenos Aires. What emerges is neither parody nor pastiche, but a transformation. Recorded in January 2025 at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, this debut album captures a moment of creative alchemy, an ensemble of classical virtuosos surrendering to the irresistible gravity of tango.