For the great 19th century poet E. T. A. Hoffmann, Mozart was the first great romantic composer and this opinion was shared by most of his contemporaries, if not by most people today. Many of the romantic ideals are apparent in the works presented here: the deliberate simplicity that makes the Sonata in B flat major so poignant, as well as the darker preoccupations of the Fantasy and Sonata in C minor. Canadian pianist Ludwig Sémerjian digs into the depths of these Mozartian masterpieces on the very piano of Richard Wagner, a newly restored 1876 Steinway of which the Romantic composer said, “No Steinway, no Parsifal.” This recording was made in the grand salon of the Villa Wahnfried, in Bayreuth, Germany, the first home of the piano.
1. Sonate en si bémol majeur K. 570 | Allegro | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
2. Sonate en si bémol majeur K. 570 | Adagio | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
3. Sonate en si bémol majeur K. 570 | Allegretto | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
4. Fantasie en do mineur, K. 475 | Adagio–Allegro–Andantino–Più allegro–Adagio | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
5. Sonate en do mineur K. 457 | Allegro | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
6. Sonate en do mineur K. 457 | Adagio | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
7. Sonate en do mineur K. 457 | Molto allegro | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart