The fortepiano used for this recording is tuned to an unequal temperament with A = 430.
Performer Biography
Kristian Bezuidenhout, the fortepiano performer, won first prize and the audience prize at the Bruges Fortepiano Competition at age 21.
Composer Biography
Mozart's 1778 visit to Paris, though artistically successful, was personally disastrous due to his mother's death and his failure to secure employment.
Recording & Production
This recording features a fortepiano built in 2009 by Paul McNulty, modeled after an 1805 instrument by Anton Walter & Sohn of Vienna.
Composition History
The Sonata in D Major, K.284, was commissioned by Baron Thaddäus von Dürnitz, an amateur bassoonist and keyboardist, though Mozart claimed he was never paid for it.
Compositional Technique
The A-minor Sonata, K.310, is exceptional for the sheer density and continuous semiquaver movement in its first movement, making it a challenging 'étude' for pianists.
Instruments
Mozart praised the sound of the Sonata in D Major, K.284, on a Stein pianoforte, noting its particular suitability for the instrument in a letter to his father.
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