The Complete Mozart Piano Concertos • Vol. 1

P21 009-N

Volume 1 recorded live in the Grosser Saal of the Mozarteum in Salzburg by Cyprien Katsaris under the charismatic conductor Yoon K. Lee and his remarkable Salzburger Kammerphilharmonie is part of the complete Mozart piano concertos performed in Salzburg and Vienna. It contains Concertos No. 13, K. 415 and No. 22, K. 482 in a very bold and personal interpretation; Concerto No. 22 was Cyprien’s first encounter with Mozart’s concertos – at the age of eleven – and he still believes it to be one of the most difficult. A distinguishing mark of these recordings are the various cadenzas that Katsaris wrote for this Concerto: some are composed in conventional, classical style à la Mozart, while others, more free-ranging, hold their own against Liszt’s paraphrasing, with wry allusions to The “Queen of the Night” (The Magic Flute), and Beethoven’s “Waldstein” Sonata and “Emperor Concerto”, all of them dovetailed into magnificent counterpoint nurtured by the pianist’s inherent virtuosity.

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 13, K. 415
in C major • C-Dur • en do majeur

1 I   Allegro (Cadenza: Mozart)

2 II  Andante (Cadenza : Mozart)

3 III Rondeau 

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 22, K. 482
in E flat major • Es-Dur • en mi bémol majeur

4 I   Allegro (Cadenza A: Katsaris)

5 II  Andante

6 III Allegro (Cadenza A: Katsaris)

7 Cadenza B for the 1^st movement: Katsaris

8 Cadenza B for the 3^rd movement: Katsaris

Reviews

[...] what remarkable playing from Katsaris. If one can imagine the pearly purity of Perahia grafted onto the joy and spontaneity of Barenboim in his EMI cycle, you get some idea of what to expect. K482 is particularly impressive in this respect – Katsaris never holds the music at arm's length, and the overall impression is of a stream of magically-inflected, seamless poetics, highlighted by a skintingling pianissimo touch.
International Piano (United Kingdom)

There is much sparkling sensitivity in these live recordings [...] and the orchestra accompanies very well [...]. I like these performances very much indeed, and what makes these discs particularly interesting for the Mozartian is the "additional" music Katsaris offers. As mentioned, these are live recordings, which adds a greater degree of intensity to the overall readings not always found in spliced studio offerings, but for the deserved "encores" Katsaris plays alternative cadenzas [...]. Some will object, but when one considers that these alternative cadenzas are given within a few minutes of the complete performance having taken place, and that the music is still fresh in our minds, to go immediately back a few pages for alternative views in a newly improvised cadenza (if that is the case) is something fascinating, and – as Katsaris is such a good Mozartian – well worth hearing. [...] I urge you to hear these discs – there is excellent Mozart playing here, the dedicated musicianship of the artists is self-evident and the chance of hearing very rare additional music is not to be ignored.
International Record Review (United Kingdom)

[...] on est séduit par un jeu brillant qui mêle fermeté et légèreté, déroulant les traits successifs avec clarté et assurance [...].
Diapason (France)

Du panache, de la fougue, de la virtuosité.
Répertoire (France)

Cyprien Katsaris nous en voudra-t-il si nous prétendons le croire atteint de folie? Nous parlons d'une folie stimulante et galvanisante, indispensable au monde musical d'aujourd'hui, nous rappelant que les textes qui nous émeuvent sont toujours vivants. Certes, la vivacité musicologique n'est pas le souci premier de Katsaris. Mais cela importe peu dans une réalisation si personnelle et audacieuse (comme à l'habitude chez le pianiste). [...]. Originalité notable, qui donne à l'enregistrement une belle part de son cachet : un bon nombre de cadences sont composées par Katsaris. Si certains affichent un style classique conventionnel, les autres, échevelées, n'ont rien à envier aux paraphrases de Liszt sur le plan de la virtuosité. Thématiquement, certaines convoquent la Reine de la nuit de la Flûte enchantée, ou même... l'Empereur et la Waldstein de Beethoven ! Bien loin de l'académique et du pasteurisé trop souvent flattés aujourd'hui, Katsaris montre une nouvelle fois qu'il est l'un des pianistes les plus géniaux de notre temps. Ou l'un des génies les plus « pianistes ». C'est avec fébrilité que nous attendons la suite de cette intégrale.
Piano Magazine (France)

Der französische Solist bezaubert nicht nur durch sein wie immer perlend flüssiges, unverzärteltes Spiel in den Ecksätzen, das sich zur rechten Zeit auch mit wohl austariertem virtuosen Witz paart, sondern berührt auch in den langsamen durch tief lotende Empfindsamkeit.
www.drehpunktkultur.at (Austria)

Cyprien Katsaris appeared in front of us as a representative of Mozart specialists (We've not found this kind of player in France for a long while). He is neither showy nor conservative when he plays Mozart but breathes elastic musical life into the works. The sound is just clear and pure. The music itself, in addition, is very natural. His flexible nuances give listeners fresh impressions.
The Record Geijutsu Disc Review (Japan)

[...] various and clear sound by using bright technique is very attractive...
No. 13: His concertos are spontaneous and hearty in general. In Adagio in C minor in the 3rd movement, his simple expression and nice balance with the theme of the Rondo leaves the listeners with a good feeling.
No. 22: Listeners will find a distinguished performance style and musical nature in this pianist. Although his tone is preternaturally beautiful, his interpretation easily gains everyone's sympathy. I can say his universal expression goes along with elaborate calculation in detail.
The Record Geijutsu Disc Review (Japan)

First of all, listeners will appreciate, and be surprised at the Cadenza in this recording. However, the best feature of this CD is his beautiful and elastic performance. This disc is well worth listening to.
CD Journal (Japan)