Mozart - Piano Concertos Nos. 23 & 25

One Austrian critic referred to the "magical sound mixtures" when the Vienna Concentus Musicus under its renowned conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt (b. 1929) met up to record two Mozart piano concertos with acclaimed Austrian pianist, Rudolf Buchbinder (b. 1946). Harnoncourt approaches this repertoire for the first time in the more than 60 years he has worked together with this orchestra which he originally founded, with a copy of an Anton Walter fortepiano as the featured solo instrument. Buchbinder, whose live recording of all 32 Beethoven sonatas for Sony Music garnered enthusiastic praise from the international music critics, is one of the most prominent interpreters of the German piano repertoire from Haydn to Brahms.
What we have here are fresh and playful readings of two works from Mozart’s ‘Figaro’ year of 1786: the highly melodic A major concerto K. 488 and the long and resplendent C major work K. 503.
"This was an exciting change from the norm", says Rudolf Buchbinder, "and it became more and more enjoyable with every note. It was nearly ten years since I'd played on a historic instrument like this, but I sat down at the keyboard and felt at home again straight away”.

1. I. Allegro maestoso
2. II. Andante
3. III. (Allegretto)
4. I. Allegro
5. II. Adagio
6. III. Allegro assai