Orchestre de chambre de Paris
Alexander Melnikov piano and direction
Jeroen Berwaerts trumpet
Alexander Melnikov tackles a daunting programme of Mozart and Shostakovich.
Dates
Mozart Concerto for piano No. 12 K. 414
Shostakovich Concerto for piano No. 2 op. 102
Mozart Quintet for piano and strings K. 452
Shostakovich Concerto for piano, trumpet and string orchestra op. 35
About
Chamber music is at the heart of this programme, be it in Mozart’s Quintet for Piano and Wind or the three concertos performed in counterpoint. Alexander Melnikov, who is innately curious and acclaimed for his cutting-edge musical choices, plays with woodwind and French horns before conducting Mozart’s Concerto No. 12 from the keyboard. These are followed by two concertos for piano by Shostakovich, whose death fifty years ago is being celebrated in 2025. Piano Concerto No. 1 is supported only by strings and solo trumpet (played by Jeroen Berwaerts), which is particularly conspicuous in the third movement. He offers a whole kaleidoscope of atmospheres and styles, ranging from Russian Romanticism to popular music and jazz. Concerto No. 2, which was composed 25 years later by Shostakovich for his son, is also full of freshness and unpretentious virtuosity and was written for a “Mozartian style” of orchestra. The poetry of the slow movements of these two concertos is an extension of the Andante of Mozart’s Concerto No. 12, written as an homage to Johann Christian Bach.
Production Orchestre de chambre de Paris