Mozart & Contemporaries

Víkingur Ólafsson explores the light and shade in the music of Mozart on his latest album, released by Deutsche Grammophon on 3 September 2021. Mozart & Contemporaries sees the artist juxtapose some of his favourite Mozartian pieces with works by other leading composers of the day – Haydn, C.P.E. Bach, Galuppi and Cimarosa. By focusing on the last ten years of Mozart’s life, Ólafsson dispels the image of the composer as the angelic and prodigious idiot savant. “I find this decade of Mozart’s life and art endlessly fascinating,” says the pianist. “This is the period when he was not just perfecting the Classical tradition but subtly subverting it … the shadows are darker, the nuances and ambiguities more profound.” Ólafsson, who has won Opus Klassik and BBC Music Magazine awards as well as being named Gramophone’s Artist of the Year 2019, has achieved worldwide acclaim with his recordings. Mozart & Contemporaries is his fourth DG album.

The CD is presented in a high-quality Mint Pack, with a booklet including an essay by the artist.

Tracklist:

01 Galuppi: Andante spiritoso from Piano Sonata No. 9 in F minor

02 Mozart: Rondo in F major, K 494

03 C.P.E. Bach: Rondo II in D minor, H 290

04 Cimarosa: Sonata No. 42 in D minor (Arr. by Víkingur Ólafsson)

05 Mozart: Fantasia in D minor, K 397 (Fragment)

06 Mozart: Rondo in D major, K 485

07 Cimarosa: Sonata No. 55 in A minor (Arr. by Víkingur Ólafsson)

08 Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 47 in B minor: I. Allegro moderato

09 Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 47 in B minor: II. Menuet

10 Haydn: Piano Sonata No. 47 in B minor: III. Finale - Presto

11 Mozart: Kleine Gigue in G, K 574

12 Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 16 in C major, K 545 “Sonata facile”: I. Allegro

13 Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 16 in C major, K 545 “Sonata facile”: II. Andante

14 Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 16 in C major, K 545 “Sonata facile”: III. Rondo. Allegretto

15 Mozart: Adagio in E flat, arr. by Víkingur Ólafsson from String Quintet No. 3 in G minor, K 516 

16 Galuppi: Larghetto from Piano Sonata No. 34 in C minor

17 Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor, K 457: I. Molto allegro

18 Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor, K 457: II. Adagio

19 Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor, K 457: III. Allegro assai

20 Mozart: Adagio in B minor, K 540

21 Mozart: Ave verum corpus, K 618 (Transcr. for solo piano by Franz Liszt)