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Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos / Brautigam, Willens, Die Kolner Akademie
BIS

Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos / Brautigam, Willens, Die Kolner Akademie

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Details

Composer
MENDELSSOHN, FELIX
Artist
Brautigam, Die Kolner Akademie, Willens
Format
SACD
Label
BIS
Released
Jan 04, 2019
Catalog #
BIS-2264
UPC
7318599922645

About

Ronald Brautigam has recorded more than 60 albums for BIS, including the complete solo keyboard music by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven on the fortepiano. But his first releases on the label, in the mid-1990s, were Mendelssohn’s concertante works for piano and orchestra, on modern piano. When he now returns to these scores, it is on a copy of a Pleyel grand piano from 1830 – the year before Mendelssohn composed his Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor. And the orchestra supporting him is the period band Die Kölner Akademie under Michael Alexander Willens, the same team that he has already collaborated with for an acclaimed 11-album survey of Mozart’s keyboard concertos. The historically informed accompaniments and the clarity of the solo instrument contribute to performances of a great charm and freshness, shedding a new light on these works. Composed between 1831 and 1838, they were all written primarily for Mendelssohn’s own use as a touring concert pianist, but soon entered the repertoire of many other pianists – especially the G minor concerto, which was extremely popular in the composer’s own time.

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REVIEWS:

Brautigam uses a copy of a Pleyel piano of 1831 – just a year before the First Concerto was composed – and he skates over its keys with dazzling ease, negotiating the cascades of notes with admirable fluency. He’s well supported by Michael Alexander Willens and the Cologne Academy.

– BBC Music Magazine

Brautigam launches his disc with the rondo brilliant and for once the exuberant muscularity of the soloist’s opening phrases don’t sound unwieldy. The relative lightness of the McNulty instrument ensures that even when Brautigam really plays out, there’s no fear of him overwhelming the orchestra.

– Gramophone

Tracklist 10 tracks

  1. 1 Rondo brillant in E-Flat Major, Op. 29, MWV O10 10:32
    Track
    1
    Title
    Rondo brillant in E-Flat Major, Op. 29, MWV O10
    Duration
    10:32
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  2. 2 I. Molto allegro con fuoco 07:16
    Track
    2
    Title
    I. Molto allegro con fuoco
    Duration
    07:16
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  3. 3 II. Andante 04:56
    Track
    3
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    04:56
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  4. 4 III. Presto 06:10
    Track
    4
    Title
    III. Presto
    Duration
    06:10
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  5. 5 Capriccio brillant, Op. 22, MWV O8 10:31
    Track
    5
    Title
    Capriccio brillant, Op. 22, MWV O8
    Duration
    10:31
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  6. 6 I. Allegro appassionato 09:05
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. Allegro appassionato
    Duration
    09:05
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  7. 7 II. Adagio - Molto sostenuto 05:36
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. Adagio - Molto sostenuto
    Duration
    05:36
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  8. 8 III. Finale: Presto scherzando 06:34
    Track
    8
    Title
    III. Finale: Presto scherzando
    Duration
    06:34
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  9. 9 Andante - 05:20
    Track
    9
    Title
    Andante -
    Duration
    05:20
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  10. 10 Allegro giojoso - Animato 06:43
    Track
    10
    Title
    Allegro giojoso - Animato
    Duration
    06:43
    Composer
    Felix Mendelssohn
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens