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Mozart: Piano Concertos Vol 9 / Christian Zacharias, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra

MDG

SACD

$24.99 Aug 01, 2012

MOZART Piano Concertos: No. 12 in A , K 414 ; No. 26 in D, K 537 • Christian Zacharias (pn, cond); Lausanne C O • MDG GOLD 940 1759-6 (54:20)

This release, Volume 9 in Christian Zacharias’s ongoing cycle of the Mozart piano concertos, is wonderfully satisfying in every way. I can’t imagine that anyone could find any fault with his natural-sounding piano playing, the clear, sweet sound of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, the spacious, clear recorded sound, or, of course, the music itself.

The 12th concerto is an early example of the special grace and intimate expression found in Mozart’s other notable works in A Major: the 23rd concerto, the quintet and concerto for clarinet. The untroubled, celebratory 26th concerto, usually referred to as the “Coronation”, though not here, is sometimes regarded as a less profound work than the other late Mozart concertos, but it has always been a favorite of mine. Zacharias’s wonderful phrasing, glorious ornamentation, and profound understanding of the nuances of Mozart’s keyboard style now make this my favorite performance of the piece, displacing Murray Perahia’s fine account. (I won’t give away a delightful timbral surprise that happens in the cadenza of the first movement.) In general, MDG’s recording adds some resonance to the sound of the piano, with the orchestra providing a sonic foil that’s crisp by comparison, a very pleasing overall balance.

If the other volumes in this series are comparably excellent—and Scott Noriega’s review of the 24th and 25th concertos in 36:1 indicates that they are—then Zacharias’s Mozart cycle may surpass the very best ones that use the modern piano and simply qualify as a life-enhancing event.

FANFARE: Paul Orgel

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Mozart: Piano Concertos Vol 9 / Christian Zacharias, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra
MDG Aug 2012
SACD
$24.99

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MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 9 / CLEMENTI: Piano Concerto in C
Brana Records Feb 2004
CD
~~$10.99~~ $5.49

Beethoven: Piano Concertos, Part 1 / Barnatan, Jackiw, Weilerstein, Gilbert, ASMF

PENTATONE

$22.99 ~~$29.99~~ Save 25% Oct 18, 2019

One of the most admired pianists of his generation, Inon Barnatan kicks off his complete Beethoven piano concertos cycle with this double album, together with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and maestro Alan Gilbert. Ranging from the classical First and Third to the experimental Fourth Piano Concerto, and closing with the festive Triple Concerto, Barnatan and his colleagues display the exceptional expressive range and stylistic diversity of Beethoven’s musical language. For the Triple Concerto, Barnatan joins forces with violinist Stefan Jackiw and cellist Alisa Weilerstein. This recording project bears the fruit of longstanding and profound musical friendships, and – surprisingly – offers the first integral recording of Beethoven piano concertos by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, one of the most-recorded ensembles in the world of classical music. Inon Barnatan is one of the most admired pianists of his generation (New York Times), now making his PENTATONE debut, to be followed by another Beethoven piano concertos album in 2020. The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields has built a consistent repertoire with the label throughout the years, whereas Alisa Weilerstein presented the first result of her exclusive collaboration with PENTATONE in 2018 with Transfigured Night.

REVIEW:

Pianist Inon Barnatan and colleagues display both exceptional expressive range and stylistic diversity. Joining forces with violinist Stefan Jackiw and cellist Alisa Weilerstein for the Triple Concerto, it's evident this project bears the fruits of deep musical friendships and shared understanding.

– Classique HD (FRA)

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Beethoven: Piano Concertos, Part 1 / Barnatan, Jackiw, Weilerstein, Gilbert, ASMF
PENTATONE Oct 2019
CD
~~$29.99~~ $22.99

Chopin: Piano Concertos 1 & 2
Brilliant Classics Jan 2001
CD
$13.99

PIANO CONCERTO
SOMM Recordings May 2002
CD
$20.99

Instrumental Concertos
Kontrapunkt Apr 1997
CD
$22.99

Britten: Piano Concerto - Violin Concerto

Chandos

$21.99 May 28, 2013

Tying in with the 100-year anniversary in 2013 of the composer’s birth, we here present two such works, performed by the BBC Philharmonic under Edward Gardner with Chandos stars Tasmin Little and Howard Shelley. The Violin Concerto, here performed dazzlingly by Little, is essentially tragic and weighty in tone, perhaps reflecting his growing concern with the escalation of war-related hostilities. Under Shelley’s fingers the Piano Concerto – in a rare recording with the original third movement, “Recitative and Aria” – is generally lighter and brighter, more transparent and simpler in style.

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Britten: Piano Concerto - Violin Concerto
Chandos May 2013
CD
$21.99

WIND CONCERTOS

Linn Records

$20.99 Feb 23, 2018

In 2006 the Scottish Chamber Orchestra celebrated Mozart’s 250th birthday with this special release of Wind Concertos performed by the section principals of the Orchestra. Austrian conductor Alexander Janiczek was the ideal choice to lead the orchestra in the well-loved repertoire of his fellow Austrian. Alison Mitchell performs the Flute Concerto; its charming melodies and elegant phrasing belie Mozart’s claim to dislike the instrument. Written when Mozart was just eighteen, the Bassoon Concerto allows soloist Ursula Leveaux to showcase the full range and expressivity of her instrument. Maximiliano Martín gives a virtuosic performance of arguably the most famous of these three showpieces, the Clarinet Concerto. Written in 1791 for a Stadler clarinet, which extended the instrument’s lower range by four notes, Martín has adapted the text of the first edition (published with the solo part adapted to suit an ordinary clarinet) to make the best use of the clarinet’s lowest register as Mozart intended.

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WIND CONCERTOS
Linn Records Feb 2018
CD
$20.99

British Piano Concertos - Rawsthorne: Piano Concertos
Naxos May 2003
CD
$19.99

Brahms: Piano Concerto No 1 / Bernstein, Gould

Sony Masterworks

$11.98 Sep 22, 1998

This is the first authorized release of this performance. The disc also includes Bernstein's pre-performance remarks and an interview with Glenn Gould from a 1964 New York Philharmonic broadcast.
This disc should serve as an extremely important historical novelty to those listeners familiar with the players and the repertoire. The performance is taken from a 1962 radio broadcast, and Bernstein begins the program with a disclaimer. He tells the intrigued audience that while he looks upon Gould as a supreme artist, he does not agree with the soloist's interpretation of the work, that they share major interpretive discrepancies. Despite this, Bernstein opts to go along with Gould's interpretation.
And so begins this disc, followed by what Bernstein himself called one of the most "unorthodox" renditions of the Brahms he has ever heard. With its varying tempi, sometimes as slow as molasses, Gould still manages to express perfectly what this piece calls for: a sense of majesty, intensity, and delicacy all at once. Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic create an ambience that is as reflective as Gould could have asked for. This disc is indeed a fascinating tribute to the two great artists who could not agree.

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Brahms: Piano Concerto No 1 / Bernstein, Gould
Sony Masterworks Sep 1998
CD
$11.98

VIOLIN CONCERTO
WARNER CLASSICS Nov 2015
CD
$10.49

Saint-Saens, C.: Cello Concerto No. 1 / Fauré, G.: Élégie /
Centaur Records Mar 2003
CD
$18.99

Shostakovich: Cello Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
BIS Jan 1994
CD
$21.99

Caspar Diethelm: Orchestral Music, Vol. 1 - Concertos

Toccata

$20.99 Oct 02, 2026

Caspar Diethelm (1926-97) was one of the leading Swiss composers of the twentieth century. His free-tonal style - angular yet accessible - drew on the inheritance of several of his predecessors, above all Hindemith, Honegger (both of whom were his teachers), Martin and Schoeck, with Bartok adding rhythmic spice. These influences he combined with an awareness of modernism to form an individual and expressive musical language of his own. The three concertos recorded here are remarkable for the striking clarity of their orchestral textures; they also exhibit Diethelm's fondness for enlivening his narratives with surges of energy and touches of gleeful humour.

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Caspar Diethelm: Orchestral Music, Vol. 1 - Concertos
Toccata Oct 2026
CD
$20.99

Chopin: Piano Concertos / Despax, Chineke! Chamber Ensemble

Signum Classics

$19.99 May 06, 2022

Following the acclaimed Brahms recording in 2021, Emmanuel Despax presents his sixth album with Signum Classics: Chopin Piano Concertos (chamber versions) with Chineke! Chamber Ensemble. “Chopin’s Piano Concertos are among his first and most significant points of departure, a marked liberation from the constraints of an early but short-lived respect for custom and tradition... I would say that the exceptional nature of this Chopin recording lies in the combination of the chamber music, quintet slimmed-down version of the Piano Concertos complemented by a pianist who plays with an almost epic size and grandeur.” (Bryce Morrison)

Emmanuel Despax has gained worldwide recognition as a singular artist, whose interpretations bring a rare sincerity and imagination to the music. Chineke! was founded in 2015 by the double bass player, Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE, to provide career opportunities for established and up-and-coming Black and ethnically diverse classical musicians in the UK and Europe. The Chineke! Chamber Ensemble comprises the principal players of the Chineke! Orchestra.

REVIEWS:

Chineke!'s accomplished and delightful playing forced at least this particular listener to pay greater than usual attention to music that can sometimes seem little more than a lengthy introduction to the piano-enriched score to come. This is, then, a quite delightful and distinguished release with an individual character of its own. It has been expertly recorded, moreover, in first-rate sound. While, as we’ve noted, the chamber versions of the Chopin concertos have done rather well on CD over the years, the new disc can hold its own with any of the others and will certainly not disappoint anyone who buys it.

--MusicWeb International

[The] brilliant young French pianist, Emmanuel Despax, already well known in Europe and according to Gramophone magazine, “A formidable talent, fleet of finger, elegant of phrase and a true keyboard colourist”...collected five string players (the Cheneke! Chamber Ensemble) to perform Chopin’s two piano concertos with the orchestra reduced to a string quintet, so what we have here is effectively a piano sextet.

Chopin’s orchestration has been much criticized over the last centuries...but since the piano plays almost continuously, this version with smaller forces is quite enjoyable.

--The WholeNote

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Chopin: Piano Concertos / Despax, Chineke! Chamber Ensemble
Signum Classics May 2022
CD
$19.99

Dvorak: Orchestral Works & Concertos

Supraphon

$75.99 Apr 30, 2013

Collectors and admirers of Dvorak’s music bearing the hallmark of the Czech performance tradition can now add another comprehensive album to put alongside the previous complete Supraphon CDs mapping his chamber, piano, and symphonic works. The acclaimed recording of the symphonies, conducted by Vaclav Neumann, is now followed by Supraphon’s 8-CD box set featuring Dvorak’s orchestral pieces and concertos. In addition to the celebrated Slavonic Dances, it contains a number of rarely recorded symphonic works (the Hussite Overture, My Home, A Hero’s Song), as well as splendid compositions for chamber and string orchestras. Besides recordings made under the baton of Neumann, it provides scope to other great Dvorak conductors – Mackerras, Belohlavek and the rising star Jakub Hruša. The set of orchestral works is rounded off by recordings of concertos, ranging from the virtually unknown Cello Concerto in A major, written by the young Dvorak, to the most frequently performed, the Cello Concerto in B minor. Supraphon has again carefully put together top-quality and time-honoured recordings of works performed by world-renowned soloists.

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Dvorak: Orchestral Works & Concertos
Supraphon Apr 2013
CD
$75.99

Saint-Saëns: Cello Sonatas no 1 & 2, etc / Kliegel, et al

Naxos

$19.99 Jan 30, 2007

SAINT-SAËNS Cello Sonatas: No. 1 in c; No. 2 in F. Suite for Cello and Piano • Maria Kliegel (vc); François-Joël Thiollier (pn) • NAXOS 8.557880 (77:32)

It has been previously noted that Saint-Saëns’s four major works for cello were composed more or less in tandem pairs. 1872–73 saw the twin births of the C-Minor Sonata, op. 32, and the A-Minor Concerto, op. 33. The composer was approaching 40 at the time; yet for a man who lived to 86, these may still be regarded as fairly early works. Not until nearly 30 years later did Saint-Saëns turn again to the cello, this time composing in reverse order the D-Minor Concerto, op. 119, in 1902, followed in 1905 by the Sonata in F Major, op. 123.

My only grumble about Jamie Walton’s Saint-Saëns CD (reviewed in 29:6) was that had he omitted “The Swan” movement from The Carnival of the Animals , there would have been just enough room on the disc to include the Second Sonata, thereby giving us all four of the composer’s major works for cello on a single disc. It turns out that in writing that review, I overlooked the even earlier, but hardly insignificant, 1862 Suite for Cello and Piano, op. 16, which, at 23 minutes’ duration, is even longer than the First Sonata and certainly qualifies as a “major” work.

With the current release, cellist Maria Kliegel and pianist François-Joël Thiollier fill in the blanks, offering us, along with the C-Minor Sonata, the earlier Suite and the later F-Major Sonata, both of which were absent from Walton’s entry. The juxtaposition of these works on the same disc affords us the opportunity to hear for ourselves the evolution, both professional and personal, of a man whose interior life may have been more complex than received opinion about him has otherwise led us to believe.

The five-movement Suite makes no pretense to a refracted antique or neo-Baroque style—as some of the composer’s early works do—despite note writer Keith Anderson’s assertion that its Prelude loosely resembles the arpeggio Praeludium of Bach’s G-Major Solo Cello Suite. Saint-Saëns’s Suite is an ardent, effusive romantic outpouring that has more in common with the young, though never youthful, Brahms than it has with anything from an earlier time.

The C-Minor Sonata, though coming 10 years after the Suite, is all surface Sturm und Drang somewhat reminiscent of Mendelssohn. It was works such as this that earned Saint-Saëns his reputation as an arch-conservative in thrall to German models and aesthetics.

The F-Major Sonata, written when he was 70, has clearly evolved away from the composer’s earlier, more immediately recognizable profile. Though still adhering to the principles of sonata form, the piece has about it a more through-composed feeling that is carried forward by a gorgeous rippling piano part rather in the manner of the composer’s own student, Fauré. More significant, however, is the genuine expressiveness and depth of the music, which clearly belie the notion that Saint-Saëns was but an extremely gifted tunesmith and facile craftsman with an uncanny instinct for writing music devoid of any meaningful substance.

Maria Kliegel can be heard in a wide range of repertoire that she has recorded for Naxos; with over 50 entries in their catalog, she is perhaps the company’s leading “stable” cellist, a term that unfortunately carries certain uncomplimentary connotations. Be assured that in Kliegel’s case they are not deserved, for she is a fantastic player with solid technique, spot-on intonation, and robust tone, which she projects with a great deal of confidence and authority. If her delivery is not quite as smooth and refined as that of the aforementioned Jamie Walton, my sense is that she wants us to perceive Saint-Saëns as both more serious and more substantive than he is often taken to be.

François-Joël Thiollier has also recorded extensively for Naxos, having made a specialty of the French piano repertoire. His partnering with Kliegel is a natural. For the excellent performances, fine sound, budget price, and smart programming, I’m inclined to call this disc indispensable for lovers of chamber music for cello and piano.

FANFARE: Jerry Dubins

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Saint-Saëns: Cello Sonatas no 1 & 2, etc / Kliegel, et al
Naxos Jan 2007
CD
$19.99

Mozart: Horn Concertos

Chandos

$21.99 May 15, 2026

Regarded as one of Europe's leading horn players, Martin Owen appears as a soloist and chamber musician all around the world. He currently holds the position of principal horn at the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, and Haffner Wind Ensemble, having served as principal horn of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and, on a temporary contract, as solo horn of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Mozart composed all of these pieces for the virtuoso horn player Joseph Leutgeb (or Leitgeb) (1732 - 1811). Leutgeb was born in Vienna and established his reputation as a soloist there before working in Salzburg, where Mozart made his acquaintance. Martin Owen writes: 'In this recording, we have attempted to portray a more youthful vigour in the earlier works (indeed, of Joseph Leutgeb himself, for whom they were written) compared to the Concerto in D, in many ways a swan song for both soloist and composer, in which I hope our performance shows more depth of tone and a higher level of maturity. I was intrigued by the fact that in 1990, sixty bars of music were uncovered in a Sotheby's auction, which were later confirmed as belonging to the concert Rondeau, KV 371 - when I was young, I only knew the work without these bars and always felt that there was too abrupt a change into the next section! Now it makes complete sense.'

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Mozart: Horn Concertos
Chandos May 2026
CD
$21.99

Mix & Match

Elgar & Ades: Violin Concertos

Ondine

$18.99 Oct 03, 2025

Star-violinist Christian Tetzlaff, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor John Storgards present in this album two major British violin concertos written between a century, in 1910 and 2005. Elgar's passionate violin concerto, completed in 1910, is a classical-romantic violin concerto in three movements. This huge and highly emotional work was in the wake of modernism neglected for several decades before entering into standard concerto repertoire. Here Christian Tetzlaff follows the model of the early recordings of Elgar's concerto with substantially quicker tempos compared to most modern recordings, and having a great influence on the impact of the piece. Ades' violin concerto 'Concentric Paths', is already a modern classic and no doubt one of the most important concertos written during this century. With it's very demanding violin part the work has all the elements of a true concerto, allowing the soloist to sing with his instrument. The beauty of this music lies that everything is written so clearly.

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Elgar & Ades: Violin Concertos
Ondine Oct 2025
CD
$18.99

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Novák: Concertos / Novak-Wilmington, Košárek, Novakova, Netopil, Prague RSO

Supraphon

$30.99 Oct 27, 2023

The music of Jan Novák (1921–1984) is extraordinary and remarkable as such. However, this recording puts a kind of stamp of authenticity on it since the solo parts are played not only by pianist Karel Košárek but also by both of the composer’s daughters. While flautist Clara Nováková might have gone back in memories to the time when she was fifteen and her father dedicated the first version of Choreae vernales to her, Dora Novak-Wilmington sat on the piano stool instead of her mother, Eliška, who played the instrument as brilliantly as her husband, Jan.

In a way, this recording exudes the atmosphere of a family reunion across time. Novák’s Concerto for Two Pianos reflects his impressions of studying with Bohuslav Martinu in New York (where they visited jazz clubs together) as well as his desire for recognition from his teacher. The historical recording of the work (Jan and Eliška Novák, Czech Philharmonic, Karel Ancerl, 1957) deserves to be complemented by a representative modern recording. Concentus biiugis for piano four hands was performed in the year of its creation in the composer’s exile in Germany as a way of supporting Charter 77, an anti-regime movement in his homeland.

The first version of Choreae vernales was written in the same year in Italy and three years later Novák clothed it in the colourful attire of string orchestra. It is this nearly unknown version of the composition that is newly recorded here. The orchestra’s involvement and renowned conductor Tomáš Netopil’s distinct musicianship help the soloists to create Jan Novák’s colourful and striking musical landscape - A new recording of Jan Novák’s concertos – a family reunion across time.

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Novák: Concertos / Novak-Wilmington, Košárek, Novakova, Netopil, Prague RSO
Supraphon Oct 2023
CD
$30.99

Telemann: Suite And Concertos For Recorder / Rothert, Et Al
Naxos Jul 2002
CD
$19.99

Beethoven: Piano Works

DUX

$10.99 ~~$21.99~~ Save 50% Jun 10, 2016

Jean-Claude Henriot (b. 1949) was born into a family of musicians. As a child, Henriot fixated his conception of great music upon Beethoven. His first great musical experience was of listening to a recording of the ‘Emperor’ Concerto. For this album Henriot has opted to venture outside of the frequently performed piano sonatas by programming Beethoven’s Bagatelles, Fantasia in G minor, Andante Favori, and 32 Variations in C minor. All of the works on this release were composed between 1803 and 1825, during the composer’s late period when the fullness of his potential had been reached.

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Beethoven: Piano Works
DUX Jun 2016
CD
~~$21.99~~ $10.99

Rosenmüller: Laudate Dominum - Sacred Concertos

CPO

$18.99 Aug 02, 2019

Johann Rosenmüller compiled an impressive oeuvre of more than two hundred vocal and instrumental works. On the occasion of this composer's four hundredth birthday, the Ensemble 1684 is presenting a CD with a cross section of his music including the world-premiere recordings of four of his large-dimensioned concertos. Rosenmüller's post as a teacher at the St. Thomas School introduced him to an exciting musical and academic environment that greatly stimulated him. Very early he displayed his talent for absorbing artistic and cultural influences. The St. Thomas cantor Tobias Michael and the Dresden court music director Heinrich Schütz were of particular significance here. The new Italian concerto models with which Schütz had become acquainted during his second stay in Venice were above all a source of inspiration for Rosenmüller, who very soon also began experimenting with them. A masterful compositional craftsman and contrapuntist of Schützian stamp!

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Rosenmüller: Laudate Dominum - Sacred Concertos
CPO Aug 2019
CD
$18.99

CELLO CONCERTOS
ERATO Nov 2015
CD
$17.49

Kabalesky 2nd & Schumann Cello Concertos

OUR Recordings

$16.99 Apr 18, 2025

Regarded today as the embodiment of classical music at it's most lyrical and poetic, composers have entrusted the cello with some of the loveliest melodies every penned. Yet, when it came to writing cello concertos, for most composers it was a "one and done" proposition. One of the major musi-cal monuments in the cello literature is the Schumann Concerto, composed as Schumann himself said because "there are so few works for this lovely instrument." In contrast, Soviet composer Dmitry Kabalevsky is one of the exceptions to the "one and done" rule. For a long time dismissed in the west as a mediocre apparatchik, a more evenhand-ed appraisal of Kabalevsky's work reveals a consummate craftsman with a natural gift for folk-inspired melodies and vivid orchestrations. The Cello Concerto No.2 in C minor, Op.77, owes an obvious debt to his colleague and one-time neighbor Dmitri Shostakovich and is fully deserving of be-ing more frequently played and programmed. This album marks the recording debut of the young Norwegian cellist, Theodor Lyngstad. Following studies at the Royal Danish Academy of Music with Morten Zeuthen, Lars Anders Tomter and David Geber at the Manhat-tan School of Music in New York, Theodor has been extremely active as a chamber musician as well as earning more than a few regional and national awards along the way, most signi?cantly, the Leonie Sonning Talent Prize. In 2019, Lyngstad was appointed solo cellist in the Copenhagen Phil., the youngest musicians to attain that honor. Lyngstad is accompanied by the rising conductorial star Eva Ollikainen and the innovative Copenhagen Phil. Producer is the award-winning Daniel Davidsen.

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Kabalesky 2nd & Schumann Cello Concertos
OUR Recordings Apr 2025
CD
$16.99