Christian Chamorel, Guillaume Berney & Orchestre Nexus - Mozart & Reichel (2022) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Were just one example to be given of the richness and diversity of Mozart's achievements, Concertos Nos. 23 & 24 would undoubtedly make excellent candidates. Completed almost simultaneously in Vienna in early 1786, the two concertos contrast starkly and seem to have been written years apart – or by two distinct yet connected minds of equal genius. Even more astonishing is the fact that they were written in parallel with the first masterpiece of the Da Ponte trilogy, The Marriage of Figaro, while sharing with it very few stylistic similarities.

The uncluttered, chamber-like character of Concerto No. 23 K. 488 is remarkable from its opening bars, as is the profound melancholy of its first two movements. The choice of the key of A major (and its relative F-sharp minor) is no accident. Synonymous with transparency but also renunciation and even mourning, this key also lends its autumnal hues to the Quintet and the Clarinet Concerto composed by Mozart in the twilight of his life.

Completing this recording with the Concertino for piano and orchestra by the Genevan composer Bernard Reichel (1901-1992) may at first seem a surprising choice. Written in 1949 and performed for the first time by the pianist Christiane Montandon and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Edmond Appia, the Concertino nevertheless belongs unmistakably to the concertante tradition initiated by Mozart, as is Ravel's Concerto in G. Mozart and Reichel are driven by a common desire for clarity, concision and expressive sobriety, permanently searching for balance between soloist and orchestra. Thus the listener will find it quite natural (or so we hope) to travel from one universe to the other. Modest in size but finely crafted, the Concertino for piano and orchestra features a sinuous and weightless first movement, a brief central section in the form of a recitative in which the winds play the lion's share of the expressive role (another Mozartian reminder!), and an alternately dancing and conquering finale. We hope that, in its modest way, this recording will help fire the interest of the musical world for a work, and indeed a composer, whose personal language remains, in our opinion, insufficiently valued and celebrated.

Tracklist:
1. Orchestre Nexus – Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K.488: I. Allegro (10:40)
2. Orchestre Nexus – Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K.488: II. Adagio (06:38)
3. Orchestre Nexus – Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K.488: III. Allegro assai (08:01)
4. Orchestre Nexus – Concertino for Piano and Orchestra: I. Modéré (sans lenteur) (09:05)
5. Orchestre Nexus – Concertino for Piano and Orchestra: II. Lento (04:28)
6. Orchestre Nexus – Concertino for Piano and Orchestra: III. Allegro (06:28)
7. Orchestre Nexus – Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor, K.491: I. Allegro (13:16)
8. Orchestre Nexus – Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor, K.491: II. Larghetto (06:59)
9. Orchestre Nexus – Piano Concerto No. 24 in D Minor, K.491: III. Allegretto (09:13)


Thanks to the Original customer!