Richard Goode

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 19 & 27

About this Album

The longstanding collaboration between pianist Richard Goode and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, critically acclaimed both in live performance and on CD, continues with this recording of Mozart’s Piano Concertos No. 19 in F Major, K. 459 and No. 27 in B-flat Major, K. 595. This disc marks their fourth in a series of recordings of Mozart’s piano concertos for the label.

The selections on this recording typify the wealth of inspiration and sheer diversity to be found in the mature Mozart concertos. Widely considered to be among Mozart’s most original in the genre, the Piano Concerto No. 19 (1784) contains elements of opera buffa, Baroque counterpoint, and sheer pianistic virtuosity. The Piano Concerto No. 27 (1791), Mozart’s last piano concerto, though composed when he had only 11 months to live and was already ill, is full of childlike spontaneity, optimism, and humor. It ranks with The Magic Flute as one of his most profound masterpieces.

The Goode/Orpheus Mozart project has received widespread international recognition since the release of their first Grammy-nominated CD in 1997. That disc received Gramophone magazine’s Record of the Month award in April 1997 and was voted Stereo Review’s Record of the Year. The New York Times described Goode’s performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466, on the inaugural disc, as “temperamental and dramatic … a darkly Beethovenian interpretation of one of Mozart’s most Beethovenian works.” Goode’s second recording in this series, which includes Mozart concertos Nos. 25 and 9, was described by David Mermelstein of the New York Times as "fresh, energetic Mozart certain to tickle the fancy of anyone who delights in inspired music-making. Mr. Goode is an esteemed artist, technically adept and intellectually rigorous …On this disk, his efforts are a constant joy.” The third release in the series, a recording of the Mozart concertos Nos. 23 and 24, was described by The New Yorker as “intense performances of profound pieces.”