Paul Badura-Skoda, worldwide renowned interpreter of Viennese classicism and, thanks to the year of his birth – 1927 – Austria's most senior active pianist, is releasing another new recording, following the trilogy of Mozart’s piano sonatas (Gramola 98989-91). In conjunction with the Cannes Symphony Orchestra (Orchestre régionale de Cannes Région Provence – Alpes – Côte d’Azur) under the direction of Wolfgang Dörner, Mr. Badura-Skoda presents his interpretations of Mozart’s piano concertos No. 9 / K 271 (Jeunehomme) in E-flat major and No. 21 / K 467 (Elvira Madigan) in C major. Paul Badura-Skoda, besides his performances, is very proficient in musical theory and history of interpretation, a facet proven by numerous publications and critical editions as well as the liner notes to most of his CDs, where Badura most eloquently and entertainingly retraces the works’ history of origin and reception. As encore, the wonderfully dreamy Adagio K 356 / 617a for glass harmonica is included.

Classical Music

Despite the limitations of life in his Salzburg birthplace - and the patronage of a new and somewhat unsympathetic Prince-Archbishop - opportunities nevertheless presented themselves to Mozart. Following a commission for Il re pastore in 1775, he wrote a sequence of violin concertos that reveal his own performer’s understanding of the instrument. The concertos are suffused with elegance and refinement and charged with vivacity and wit. His mastery of solo violin cantilena is matched by prodigious melodic invention and moments of exotic colour, such as the Turkish episode in the Rondeau finale of K.219.

The fact that an ensemble with the name ‘Mozarthaus Quartet’ produces its debut CD with a Mozart program undoubtedly elicits little surprise. Balanced against the choice of at least 23 works of genius Mozart composed for this instrumentation tips the scales decidedly in the quartet’s favor. Sandor and Adam Javorkai, Kazutaka Takahasi and Alexander Park begin with the String Quartet in D minor KV 421 from the series of the ‘Haydn quartets’. The second work (in D major KV 575) derives from the group of the last three quartets Mozart dedicated to the King of Prussia (the ‘Prussian quartets’).

Mozart's 40th symphony, perhaps his most beautiful and well known, has an intensity that allows us to sense the depth of tragic sentiment then occupying Mozart’s mind. His 41st, and last, symphony – the “Jupiter” – a titanic work in many regards – is an expertly assembled mix of tradition and innovation. Founded in 1987 by Jos van Immerseel, the multi-award winning Anima Eterna Brugge, now a full-bred, period instrument ensemble, boasts an impressive repertoire ranging from Bach to Gershwin.

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Critics and performers have admired the beautiful melodies, colorful orchestrations, virtuosic displays and breadth of expression in Mozart's piano concertos since he improvised many of the solo parts at their first performances. They contain some of Mozart's most innovative formal experiments and intricate motivic developments. And, as is evident in this selection, each one is unique. Robert Blocker is an internationally acclaimed concert pianist who performs throughout the world. Blocker has been described by the Los Angeles Times as an artist of "great skill and accomplishment" who performs with "a measurable virtuoso bent and considerable musical sensitivity." Pianist Peter Frankl made his London debut in 1962and his New York debut with the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell in 1967. Since that time, he has performed with many of the world's finest orchestras. In the United States he has been a regular guest artist at many leading festivals and has given master classes all over the world.

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After performing the complete set of Mozart Sonatas for pianoforte and violin together, pianist James Howsmon and violinist Marilyn McDonald longed to relive three lesser-known gems. Perhaps smaller in scope but not in creativity, the sonatas that make up Mozart Among Friends wonderfully reveal the full range of Mozart's genius. The recording opens with the tempestuous Sonata in G major, K. 379, with its turbulent minor-key Allegro movement bookended by a florid Adagio in G major and a set of variations on a cheerful theme. It is followed by the Sonata in F major, K. 377, in which Mozart revived an old tradition from his youth: incorporating a minuet as finale, signaling a release of tension as the piece progresses from its energetic opening movements to its elegant conclusion. Completing the program is the Sonata in A major, K. 526, which reveals the ''emancipation'' of the violin from the piano, a device employed by Haydn at the time and incorporated into Mozart's string quartets and his three Viennese sonatas, of which this was the third. It depicts what many believe to be Mozart at his finest, from his unerring sense of texture to his seemingly endless font of melody. As the artists' notes explain, the title is a sort of double entendre: ''Mozart Among Friends'' refers to the customd uring Mozart's time of hosting home performances for loved ones; it also honors the friendship of the two longtime collaborators, Oberlin Conservatory faculty members Howsmon and McDonald, as well as their late friend, painter Leslie Miller, whose artwork graces the cover of the recording.

The musical world is familiar with the 5 violin concerti up to K. 219; on the other hand, the Concerto K. 271a can't be definitively attributed to Mozart. It's dated approximately 1777 and was designated as the seventh of his violin concerti. This is an ingenious meeting of the soloist Mirijam Contzen, who has herself written all the cadenzas for the concertos, Reinhard Goebel and the bavarian chamber philharmonic. An absolute must for lovers of the violin, and especially for lovers of Mozart.

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