![]() ![]() ![]() > Terje Rypdal: Double Concerto ( ECM 1567) It comes gloriously alive in this passionate performance, of which the third and fourth movements stand out for their stately precision. 40 in G Minor K.550 (1788) is one of only two Mozart symphonies in a minor key and is almost as recognizable as Beethoven’s 5th. The virtuosic final movement is nothing short of breathtaking. The ubiquitously famous Andante sounds fresh and crystal clear as Jarrett carries the orchestra along its pastoral journey with a precise left hand, dropping a trail of breadcrumbs into the encroaching twilight. The piano seems to act in the opening movement as a complicated ornament rather than as the focus of attention. 21 in C Major K.467 (1785) is heavier on the strings and is distinguishable by its overtly march-like rhythms. Nevertheless, its minor shifts and mellifluous wind writing make it an elegant experience all the same. Masonic Funeral Music K.477 (1785) was written for two of the composer’s Masonic brethren, though sources suggest the piece was more indicative of the Society’s ideological spirit than it was of its dedicatees’ service to it. The many solo moments injected into the final passage make for a provocative finish. The Allegro begins again with piano alone, and as the orchestra picks up the theme in a grandiose call-and-response we find ourselves bathed in a scintillating resolve. Only then do the piano and orchestra find each other after what feels like eons of separation. The central Larghetto begins with a light solo before French horns signal the orchestra to follow, weaving a solitary song. The piano solos glow like childhood, which is to say they are entirely without fear. ![]() Mozart’s final piano concerto opens on a playful note, swinging its way confidently through the branches of a singular musical path. The wind writing is superb throughout and provides some of the concerto’s most insightful moments.Ĭoncerto for Piano and Orchestra No. An ever-changing ensemble pairs the piano with different combinations of winds, all “strung” together by the orchestral whole of the infectious final movement. The Adagio pulls away its own skin to expose an arduous inner conflict before trusting its resolution to the pianist’s capable hands. The Allegro is sprinkled with moments of colorful synchronicity in which the piano doubles the flutes, further underlining the symbiotic relationship between the soloist and the landscape he inhabits (this doubling is later picked up by strings for an even broader sense of cohesion). This concerto moves in sweeping gestures, spreading its arms over grand vistas, secret gardens, and mazes from which one never wishes to escape. From the moment he lays his fingers upon the keys, Jarrett transports us-and himself, I imagine-to a spacious and familiar world of sound, and in the company of such a finely tuned and responsive orchestra his pianism soars to new heights.Ĭoncerto for Piano and Orchestra No. If no one had taken him seriously with his ECM recording of the Shostakovich 24 Preludes and Fugues, then certainly he was turning a few heads now. The first set, released in 1996, instituted a major breakthrough in Jarrett’s classical career. The end result is warm, spontaneous music-making that tickles the ears and invigorates the soul. The selections therein were approached improvisationally-that is, Davies never knew exactly what Jarrett was going to do, and vice versa. Their dramaturgy is put on full display in these two stunning double-albums from Keith Jarrett and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Dennis Russell Davies. Theatrical, eclectic, and epic in scope, the concertos are the epitome of instrumental music written in the eye of an operatic storm. Among the many symphonies, operas, songs, and chamber pieces in his formidable oeuvre of over 600 works is a handful (at least in Mozartian terms) of twenty-seven piano concertos. Taken as a whole, the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) remains one of European classical music’s most indestructible pantheons. Recorded November 1994 and January 1995 (I) May 1996 and March 1998 (II), Mozart-Saal/Liederhalle, Stuttgart ![]()
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