HYBRID MULTICHANNEL Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor K. 491 1 Allegro 14. 14 Cadenza: Lars Vogt 2 Larghetto 7. 37 3 Allegretto 9. 14 Piano Concerto No. 13 in C major K. 415 4 Allegro 10. 43 Cadenza: W. A. Mozart 5 Andante 9. 01 Cadenza: W. A. Mozart 6 Rondeau (Allegro) 9. 11 Martin Helmchen, piano Netherlands Chamber Orchestra Gordan Nikoli´c, Leader Recorded April 2007 at the Philharmonie, Haarlem, The Netherlands Executive / Recording Producer: Job Maarse Balance Engineer: Jean-Marie Geijsen Editing : Matthijs Ruiter Total playing time : 60. 13 The Steinway & Sons grand piano has been supplied by Ypma Piano’s Alkmaar - Amsterdam Artikel Ronald Vermeulen und Biographien auf Deutsch und Französisch finden Sie auf unseren Webseite. Pour les versions allemande et française des biographies et l’essai de Ronald Vermeulen, veuillez consulter notre site. www.pentatonemusic.com Mozart’s Piano Concertos special thanks to PentaTone for grant- K.491 and K.415 ing me the extraordinary freedom, from the start, of recording the reper- hen I asked Job Maarse in toire that means most to me artistically WFebruary what he had in mind at that moment. for our first CD, he replied as follows: Why did I happen to choose pre- “Why not two Mozart concertos?”. cisely these two concertos, given I was immediately enthusiastic, as the choice of the entire marvel- I just happened to be – and still am lous universe of Mozart concertos? – in a “Mozart” phase. But my next Mozart’s piano concertos are a part thought was: would it not be better of every pianist’s life, from a young to select something more unusual for age onwards, and the Piano Concerto a solo début CD? For instance, reper- in C, K.415 was the first piece that I toire to really make people sit up and was allowed to play with an orches- notice? After all, Mozart again, right tra as a child. I shall never forget the after the intensely celebrated Mozart feeling of bliss, when the sound of year? Although one cannot help but my piano joined that of the orchestra think this, these thoughts soon disap- to form such a miraculous entity. To pear when one considers the constant this day, I still have a special love of miracle of Mozart’s music: it never making music together with others, becomes a drag, and even after hav- each instrument complementing the ing been doled out in the maximum other. Once again, the Piano Concerto daily “dose” for the past year, his com- in C minor, K.491 was the first of the positions occupy an increasingly large “major” concertos to grab me at an place in our hearts. It is truly “eternal early age, due to the tragedy and dark music”, and recordings made in 100 expressivity contained within. Both years’ time will still be exciting and works form a tremendous contrast, justified, not just because there is a which is immediately apparent when different person to interpret the music comparing the C-minor episode in and different audiences to hear it. In the third movement of K.415 with the that respect, I would like to express my basic mood of K.491. The same key, yet two different worlds – the first is not come across in such a fashion in one of beauty, which communicates any other composer. happiness despite all the sorrow, a The cadenza for the first movement naïve lament, which reminds one in K.491, which I play on this recording, of Barbarina’s “L’ho perduta… me was written by my good friend Lars meschina!” from Figaro; the second, Vogt. I heard him playing it once in a full of despair, dark foreboding and concert, and immediately felt that this tension, leaving behind a feeling of expressed my own idea of a cadenza deep distress. for this concerto more aptly than any While I was working on the C-minor of my own attempts. I would also concerto, there was a moment when I like to thank Gordan Nikoli´c and the felt I was learning more about Mozart Netherlands Chamber Orchestra for than I would have learned through the delightful experience of the record- reading a whole pile of books. My ing sessions, which were characterized revered teacher Arie Vardi gave me a by spontaneity, the pleasure of making copy of the manuscript to study, and music, and a shared love of Mozart. drew my attention to some peculiar caricatures of faces, which Mozart had Text: Martin Helmchen drawn in the first movement between English translation: Fiona J. Stroker-Gale the notes. Upon closer observation, one can see that an attempt he made to draw a repeat sign probably failed, Mozart Piano Concertos leaving it to look rather like a dis- torted face. So he made a game of it n August 4, 1782, Wolfgang by also drawing these weird faces in OAmadeus Mozart married his similar places. In other words, in the beloved Constanze Weber in the most dark and moving music that one Vienna Stefansdom. The previous could ever imagine, he also included month, his opera Die Entführung aus grimaces and pranks. A characteris- dem Serail (= The Abduction from the tic of Mozart, which leaves us feeling Seraglio) had received its première in totally bewildered, and which we do the Burgtheater. In all respects, it was a busy period, as it is clear from a let- purposes, and he was painstakingly ter penned by Mozart to his father on careful that no-one got their hands on December 28: “The entire morning, the manuscripts before the first public until 2 in the afternoon, is taken up with performances: however, he offered the lessons, then we eat, and after sitting at concertos to various publishers almost table I have to grant my poor stomach immediately. an hour for the digestion: then all that As is clear in the above-mentioned remains is the evening during which fragment taken from a letter, Mozart I can write something, and not even had already taken into account in that is certain, as I am at times invited his style of writing that the con- to Academies. At present, I still need to certos should appeal to both the write two more concertos for the sub- professional and the amateur musician. scription concerts. The concertos strike Furthermore, he had made sure in the a balance between the serious and the orchestration that the winds were light, they are very brilliant, pleasant not given any “independent” parts, to the ear, natural, without sounding thus making it possible to do without vacuous: here and there, I make sure them, if so required. This increased that the connoisseur can also reap the appeal of the works for the many satisfaction from the work, yet in such ‘Liebhaber’ (= devotees), the (noble) a manner that the non-connoisseur is amateurs who played music together also satisfied, without perhaps quite privately within their circle of friends, understanding why.” and would therefore be able to perform The piano concertos to which the piano concertos to the accompani- Mozart was referring, and which he ment of a string quartet. was planning to perform during his In the Wiener Zeitung (= a subscription concerts the following Viennese newspaper) of January 15, year, were the Piano Concertos Nos.11 1783, Mozart announced that interested – 13 (K.413 – K.415). These concertos parties could order the three piano prove Mozart to be a pure-bred musical concertos from him in manuscript cop- entrepreneur. Naturally, he had written ies – however, this offer was valid only the concertos for his own performance for those who had also subscribed to his Academies. Unfortunately, this Life remained busy for Mozart in announcement probably did not have 1783. As a solo pianist, he was invited the expected result, because by April to play so often, that he was perform- Mozart was offering the concertos to ing at some venues almost every week. various publishers. Mozart’s father, And his friends also regularly asked Leopold, was afraid that his son had him to perform as guest soloist during offered the works at too high a price. their concerts. Thus Mozart’s sister-in- However, Mozart reacted to this with law, Aloisia Lange – the first Madame marked self-assurance: “Please do not Herz in Der Schauspieldirektor (= The fear that the three concertos are too Impresario) and Donna Anna in Don expensive, I believe that I am earn- Giovanni – gave an Academy on March ing one ducat for each concert – and 11, 1783, which Mozart also attended. then I would like to see how one of He wrote as follows to his father: them could be copied for a ducat! “Yesterday my sister-in-law Lange They cannot be copied, as I will not gave her Academy at the theatre, dur- relinquish them before receiving ing which I also played a concerto. The a certain number of subscriptions. theatre was very full, and I was once They have been placed in the Wiener again received by the local audience Diarium for the third time now: I have in such a delightful manner, that it offered the subscription tickets since has given me true pleasure. Although the 20th of this month for 4 ducats to I had already left the hall, the audience be paid in cash only, and during the would not stop applauding, and I had month of April, the concertos can be to return to repeat the Rondo; the ova- collected from me upon return of the tion sounded like a true ‘cloudburst’.