MOZART, W.A.: Piano Concertos Nos. 11 and 12 (version for piano and string quintet) [Soldan, Silesian Chamber Soloists]

During his first period in Vienna (Winter 1782/83), Mozart composed four new piano concertos: the concertos Nos. 11, 12, 13 and 14. He originally composed these concertos for piano and string quintet, later also for piano and orchestra. They were the first in a row of 17 momentous concertos created in Vienna and consequently founding his fame as virtuoso to the Viennese audience. On this recording you listen to the first two of these four piano concertos in a version for piano and string quintet. Soloist is Christoph Soldan, who reached his break-through to active international concert playing in a tour with Leonard Bernstein in summer 1989. The German press describes Christoph Soldan as an artist personality who works with the spiritual intensity and soulful dimension of a piece of music, rather than giving a purely technical virtuoso performance. This challenge to music and to himself is rarely seen today. The release documents a concert at the German UNESCO World Heritage Site Maulbronn Monastery in Germany 2016, splendidly recorded and produced by Andreas Otto Grimminger and Josef-Stefan Kindler for their series Maulbronn Monastery Edition.