Pierre-Laurent Aimard - Mozart

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard is a phenomenal advocate of contemporary music. He founded the Ensemble Intercontemporain, for example. Yet he always returns to Mozart, who, he says, along with Beethoven, forms his musical foundation. "In Mozart's elegant Seventeenth Piano Concerto, Aimard brought restrained intensity to the slow movement and impressive clarity to the exuberant finale," raved The New York Times .

Mozart

Mozart composed his "Linz" Symphony No. 36 in a few days, on his way back from a trip to Salzburg. He stayed at Count Thun-Hohenstein's palace in Linz. The count wanted to hear a symphony, and since Mozart hadn't brought one with him, he composed a new one on the spot. It therefore sounds fresh, spontaneous, and energetic, yet also noble and stately. The Piano Concerto No. 24 is one of Mozart's few minor-key piano concertos. But don't expect sadness: it's all about subdued splendor, a true Mozart morning at its finest.