William Youn Plays Mozart Sonatas, Vol. 5

Featuring

William Youn
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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Composition History

Mozart originally composed the Piano Sonata in D major, K. 284, also known as the Dürnitz Sonata, for Thaddäus Wolfgang von Dürnitz, a gifted pianist and bassoonist, but dedicated it to Countess Therese von Kobenzl because Dürnitz did not pay.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Mozart described Rosina Theresia Petronella Cannabich as a 'very beautiful and good girl, full of grace and friendliness, and very clever for her age,' and designed the Andante of K. 309 completely in her character.

Composer Biography

The C-minor Sonata, K. 457, marks the beginning of Mozart's tragic minor-key works from his Vienna years, which culminate in his Requiem.

Recording & Production

This album is the fifth and final volume in William Youn's project to record the complete piano sonatas of Mozart for OehmsClassics, following four previous award-winning and critically acclaimed CDs.

Performer Biography

Pianist William Youn, born in 1982, has been praised by critics as a 'genuine poet' with a 'sovereign, bravura technique of touch' and has studied in Korea, the USA, Hanover, and at the Piano Academy Lake Como.

Composition History

Mozart wrote the Sonata in C major, K. 309, for Rosina Theresia Petronella Cannabich, the daughter of leading orchestra trainer Johann Christian Cannabich, whom he met in Mannheim in 1777.

Critical Reception

The Fantasia in C minor, K. 475, and the Sonata in C minor, K. 457, were published together in 1785 and are considered among the most mature works in Mozart's piano oeuvre.