CHANDOS will soon release the seventh volume of the survey of Mozart complete piano concertos featuring Jean Elam Bavouzet. The Manchester Camerata, led by Gábor Takács-Nagy, accompanies the French pianist in two of Mozart’s late concertos. The release also includes the Overture to Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro.

The Concerto No. 24 – a rarity by its being one of only two in a minor key – was written while Mozart was composing Le nozze di Figaro between October of 1785 and May of 1786. Structured traditionally in three movements – an Allegro, a Larghetto, and an Allegretto, the C minor concerto, K. 491 is considered Mozart’s finest.

The Concerto No. 25, also one of Mozart’s best concertos for the fortepiano of his time, was first performed in Vienna six months after the Viennese première of Le nozze di Figaro. With the tonality of C major, the K. 503, offers a marked contrast to its C minor counterpart with a far more joyous tone than the melancholy K. 491.

Depending on the accuracy of the source, Mozart – himself a remarkable keyboard instrumentalist – wrote upwards of 27 works for the fortepiano. In tackling the projected recording of all of Mozart’s piano concertos, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet has embraced a huge undertaking. Bavouzet’s stylishly elegant playing and his flawless technique qualify him as an ideal Mozart interpreter, one perfectly suited to the undertaken task.

All along, the Manchester Camerata and its maestro, Gábor Takács-Nagy, are the perfect companions in a voyage of musical discovery.

Rafael de Acha © 2022