Recent recordings from the Classical period. Today: Mozart and Beethoven.
The first CD is dedicated to two composers, who met each other in 1764. Leopold Mozart and his children Wolfgang and Nannerl arrived, during a concert tour through Europe, in London. Here, they met Johann Christian Bach, who had settled there two years before. Wolfgang became devoted to this ‘London’ Bach and saw his death in 1782 as a great loss to the world of music. Bach was held in high esteem by him his whole life. He published these six harpsichord sonatas in 1766; Mozart had probably seen these and perhaps even had the chance to play them. Three of them were arranged by him for concertos with piano, two violins and cello. The Minué Ensemble recorded them and added the other three sonatas Mozart didn’t adapt.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
1. Concerto for piano, two violins and cello in E flat major (KV 107,3)
Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782)
2. Sonata in C minor, op. 5,6 (Warb A 6)
Minué Ensemble (Inés Moreno Uncilla, harpsichord; Soko Yoshida, Tamami Sakanaga, violin; Johannes Kofler, cello)
(CD: “Opus V” – Ars Produktion ARS 38 660, 2024)
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn and worked there for several years, but moved to Vienna in 1792. Here, he took lessons from Joseph Haydn and made a name for himself as piano virtuoso. He also had ambitions as a composer though, and published his piano trios op. 1 and the piano sonatas op.2. The sonatas were dedicated to Haydn, and eventhough he claimed to have learnt nothing from him, the sonatas prove otherwise. Gianmaria Bonino recorded all three of them, using a historical instrument: a fortepiano from Johann Schantz, dated ca. 1797.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
3. Sonata in A major, op. 2,2
Gianmaria Bonino, fortepiano
(CD: “3 Piano Sonatas Op. 2” – Urania MLD 15042, 2024)
In addition:
Ludwig van Beethoven
4. From Sonata in F minor, op. 1,1: prestissimo
Gianmaria Bonino, fortepiano
(CD: zie 3)
Image: cover CD ‘Opus V’
