Mozart – Piano Concertos 9 & 24
Lars Vogt; Orchestre de chamber de Paris
Ondine ODE 1414-2 (naxos.com/Search/KeywordSearchResults/?q=ODE1414-2)
In a sad loss to the music world, in September 2021 at age 51 a remarkable German pianist, conductor and wonderful human being, Lars Vogt passed away leaving behind an impressive career and a worldwide reputation. He appeared as soloist with many major orchestras (including Berlin and Vienna), created his own Music Festival, won numerous awards and had a distinguished discography. Unfortunately, this is his last recording. It has already acquired numerous awards (e.g. Critic’s Choice, Gramophone) and I just couldn’t stop listening. I would include it among my “desert island” discs.
Vogt had such love for these two Mozart concertos that he felt compelled to record them even in the midst of medical treatments. The two are as different as can be. The first piece, the bold and youthful No.9 in E-flat, Mozart’s first major statement in the genre, has a well-fitting nickname Jeunehomme. It is a concerto of contrasts. After the elegant and optimistic major key first movement, the second is in the relative C minor key and has a tragic, somber atmosphere while the final Rondo is joyful and exuberant.
Out of Mozart’s 27 piano concertos nine are undisputed masterpieces, all of them written in the last two years of his tragically short life. Among these, only two were in a minor key and No.24 is arguably his greatest. The dark C minor chords dominate the first movement which is in a very unusual 3/4 measure, obviously meant to be close to the composer’s heartbeat. (The long virtuoso cadenza at the very end of the first movement was composed by Vogt). The heavenly second movement brings some happiness, but the last one is again in a minor key. Its set of variations on a simple theme brings a virtuoso, brilliant ending.
My feeling concurs with Vogt that “this idea that despite everything things aren’t so horrible in this world… It always plays a role in Mozart.”
