Amadeus et l’Imperatrice: Montgeroult | Mozart - Elisabeth Pion; Arion Orchestre Baroque; Mathieu Lussier

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One of the great anecdotes involving the premiere of Felix Mendelssohn’s iconic String Octet in E-flat Major, Op.20 tells us that an audacious listener, not recognising Mendelssohn, is believed to have commented, “Surely that was written by Beethoven?” Jump-cut to a blindfold test – to listen to this disc Amadeus et l’Impératrice without being told these works are by the Hélène de Montgeroult (and Mozart) – to determine who composed each work. 

Indeed, all Montgeroult’s works represented here, particularly her superb Concerto pour pianoforte No 1 en mi bémol majeur evoke a genius not unlike Mozart’s. This Concerto as performed here by the Arion Orchestre Baroque conducted by Mathieu Lussier, with Élisabeth Pion eloquently laying out the solo parts on fortepiano, is a flawless performance, worthy of heralding the composer’s unbridled genius vis-à-vis Mozart. 

Montgeroult enriches orchestral sonority by employing a wide range of instruments. The clearly defined wind section in this concerto, emphasises the conversational exchanges between wind and strings in the outer movements. Throughout Pion parades a graceful and tender style while displaying the marvellous rapport between soloist and orchestra. 

In a masterstroke, the sandwiching of Mozart’s grand and dark Concerto No 24 en do mineur K491 between Montgeroult’s eloquent works suggests that she is – if nothing else – every bit as adventurous and ingenious as Mozart, Amadeus et l’Impératrice indeed…!

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