This Viennese trilogy was neglected in the Romantic era then reduced to pianoforte chamber music under the Baroque revival. Often only KV 415 is played by C. Haskil, R. Serkin, A-B Michelangeli, M. Perahia, A. Schiff and M-J Pirès. Mozart produced scores with variable accompaniment back in 1781 to satisfy the Austrian Emperor’s court and private salons. The Pražák quartet plays here with a remarkable Czech pianist reminiscent of Ivan Moravec, proving its contemporary relevance.

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PRD/DSD 250 300

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This original programme abruptly juxtaposes early sonatas, based on the models provided by Haydn, with the impatience of Sonata No.22. This longforgotten diptych, as brief and adventurous as it is essential owing to its modernism, foreshadows the return to Bach, given a new treatment by Reger and Berg. Svjatoslav Richter charms with his Haydn-like sense of humor, then sharply addresses the listener in the Opus 54.

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PRD/DSD 350 079

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An non-usual pairing of Brahms’s two most popular scores by uncontested Russian masters: the resurrection of one Richter’s rare encounters with the most Russian conductor of the 20th century, Yevgeny Mravinski. Indispensable for whomever wants to hear the references (previously Tchaikovsky, 350 069) left by the two legendary artists.

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PRD/DSD 350 103

Mallarmé was saying about a Gaugin’paiting : It’s wonderful to obtain so mysterious climax with so strong dash: an alternative with this‘Faune’ chamber approach. The first, the Piano Trio of 1879, and the last score, the Cello Sonata written in 1915 by‘Debussy, musicien français’.

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PRD/DSD 250 302

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Virtuoso, fascinating, Richter charms with his old fashion or atonal approach, Haydn or Prokofiev like sense of humor, then sharply addresses the listener in unrivalled Feux follets or Wilde Jagd.

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PRD/DSD 350'078

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The Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli was a legend in his own lifetime - renowned for his beautifully polished sound, clarity of execution, strict fidelity to the composer and awareness of harmonic subtleties. Everything was planned to the highest degree of musical and technical perfection. He played the way he was - with a seemingly unshakeable aristocratic reserve. This third recital is proposing the best possible technical approach to restore his immaculate sound.

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PRD/DSD 350'110

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Unusual last Janáček chamber programme : the vital string quartets but also the Concertino, an adventurous, amazingly experimental work. Its ‘programme’ recalls the naturalism and anthropomorphisms of the adventures of the Cunning Little Vixen. The concluding Allegro, opening with an unpredictable, almost swaggering recitative, is progressively hinged on an increasingly rapid rhythm that leads to a popular scene of jubilation that foreshadows the fanfares of the Glagolitic Mass.

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PRD/DSD 250 301

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‘The Dean of American Composers’, best known to the American public for his works written in a accessible style (but deeply studied) often referred to as Populist and which the composer labelled his ‘vernacular’ style. Appalachian Spring or El Salón Mexicó are archetypical of what many people consider to be the sound of American music, evoking the vast American landscape and pioneer spirit. Before closing the ten authentic Old American Songs recommended by Hemingway.

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PRD/DSD 350 086

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