Matthias Kirschnereit and the hr-Sinfonieorchester under Michael Sanderling have compiled a compelling, captivating programme of music from the last days of the Classical era, on...

Matthias Kirschnereit and the hr-Sinfonieorchester under Michael Sanderling have compiled a compelling, captivating programme of music from the last days of the Classical era, on the cusp of the Romantic. This half-way house in the best possible sense accommodates the compositions of Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Carl Maria von Weber and Felix Mendelssohn. On his latest album, the soloist makes the boldness of this musical venture audible: I was attracted by the fact that these rare jewels were created at a time of change, of new horizons. With over 40 album releases to his credit, the German pianist cannot be praised too highly for his inventiveness and initiative in exploring unfamiliar terrain. It was this spirit of discovery that led him to a fascinating program centered on Hummels Piano Concerto in A minor op. 85, flanked by Webers Konzertstück in F minor op. 79 and Mendelssohns Capriccio brilliant in B minor op. 22: all of them works whose fabric pulses with inner relationships, allusions and cross-references, united too by the fact that they are rarely to be heard on the concert platform. There is so much thrilling music that has fallen from favor. I was looking for a new combination, reflect Matthias Kirschnereit. Michael Sanderling is a conductor he has often worked with, and in this case Sanderling was his first choice: These works, which represent just as great a challenge for the orchestra, require a high degree of precision, virtuosity and elegant musical discourse. The teamwork with Sanderling and the symphony orchestra of Hesse Radio can only be described as an act of providence. This session rounded off the Corona year with an exhilarating highlight. And so may this music, which conjured up the spirit of a new era with defiant optimism two centuries ago, give us too a future to look forward to in our own times.