Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 22 and 25 (arr. J. Hummel for chamber ensemble)

Featuring

Fumiko Shiraga
Henrik Wiese
Peter Clemente
Tibor Benyi
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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Recording & Production

This recording is the third release in Fumiko Shiraga's complete recording of Hummel's chamber arrangements of seven of Mozart's piano concertos.

Album & Artwork

This album features chamber arrangements of Mozart's piano concertos by Johann Nepomuk Hummel, originally commissioned by English publishers in the 1830s for piano with flute, violin, and cello.

Composer Biography

Johann Nepomuk Hummel, a composer and pianist featured on this album, studied with Mozart from ages seven to nine, receiving free board, lodging, and tuition.

Historical Context

The period of Johann Nepomuk Hummel's studies with Mozart coincided with the peak of Mozart's career as a pianist and piano composer, when twelve of his twenty-one solo piano concertos were written.

Interpretation

Mozart and Hummel shared a similar approach to tempo rubato in slow movements, where the left hand kept strict tempo while the richly ornamented right hand varied the pulse.

Interpretation

Neither Mozart nor Hummel were 'fiery virtuoso' pianists like Muzio Clementi or Beethoven; instead, they impressed by placing their technical abilities at the service of the music without excessive body movements.

Compositional Technique

In his instrumental concertos, Mozart often only sketched the solo piano part, leaving the interpreter to fill in the gaps, a musical freedom Johann Nepomuk Hummel exploited in his arrangements.