The album title, "Mozart's Real Musical Father," refers to Johann Christian Bach, the youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach, who had a significant influence on Mozart.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in the Lutherse kerk in Haarlem, The Netherlands, in January 2020.
Composition History
The first meeting between Johann Christian Bach and the eight-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1764 in Chelsea is considered the genesis of the piano duet genre.
Interpretation
The performers on this album aim to apply an aesthetic of a 'wet', open-pedal sound, which they believe is essential to the music on these 18th-century instruments.
Performer Biography
Duo Pleyel, consisting of Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya and Richard Egarr, is named after their pet piano, an 1848 instrument by Chopin's preferred maker, Pleyel.
Instruments
The recording features a 5-octave fortepiano by Gijs Wilderom, built in Amsterdam in 2000, modeled after an Anton Walter instrument from Vienna, circa 1795.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mozart was likely the first composer to create sonatas specifically for the keyboard duet medium, with the works on this album probably written for him to play with his sister.
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