WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791)

Piano Trios K496, K548, K254

 

Divertimento in B flat major K254 [17'51]

1 Allegro assai [6'05] 2 Adagio [5'16] 3 Rondo: Tempo di menuetto [6'29]

Piano Trio in G major K496 [23'30]

4 Allegro [8'21] 5 Andante [6'00] 6 Allegretto (Theme and Variations I–VI) [9'08]

Piano Trio in C major K548 [18'44]

7 Allegro [7'07] 8 Andante cantabile [6'57] 9 Allegro [4'38]

 

Total Duration: 60'07

 

The Florestan Trio: Anthony Marwood - violin, Richard Lester - cello, Susan Tomes - piano

 

Universally acclaimed Mozartians The Florestan Trio bring their high interpretative standards, effortless lyricism and faultless execution to a second volume of Mozart’s piano trios. Volume 1 (see below) was described as ‘chamber music playing of the very highest order’, setting new standards for performances of these works.

 

Mozart more than any other composer took the piano trio out of its domestic setting and into the concert hall, bringing profound musical thought to what was previously a delightful diversion for amateur keyboardists and their friends. This disc traces that development. The violin and cello parts were elevated from accompanying instruments to positions of greater prominence. The piano parts were written for Mozart himself to play at the height of his Viennese fame and they are suitably virtuosic and adventurous. Susan Tomes’s Mozartian credentials are thoroughly established (not least by her wonderful Hyperion recordings of Mozart piano concertos, as well as chamber music) and these performances are a triumph of sensitivity and style.

 

Hyperion CDA67609