Saskia Giorgini, Per Ivarsson, Trondheim Soloists - Mozart & Shostakovich: Concertos for Piano and Strings & Piano Sonata (2025) [Hi-Res]

In this captivating album, pianist Saskia Giorgini explores the porous boundaries between chamber music and concerto, weaving a nuanced narrative that connects Mozart’s lyrical elegance with Shostakovich’s biting wit. Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A major, K414, originally conceived for both orchestra and string quartet, reveals its intimate side in this chamber setting – its melodic grace and quiet complexity enriched by subtle interplay. In contrast, Shostakovich’s Concerto no.1 for Piano, Trumpet, and Strings bursts with irony and theatrical flair, shifting from parody to poignancy in a flash. The album closes with Shostakovich’s Piano Sonata no.2, a work of stark introspection and formal ingenuity. Written in 1943 and dedicated to his late teacher Leonid Nikolayev, the Sonata carries a subtle, tragic undercurrent as it moves between baroque clarity, melancholic lyricism, and quietly defiant modernism – offering a deeply personal counterpoint to the extroverted brilliance of the concerto. Together, these works trace a lineage of innovation, where form, function, and emotion collide – delivering music that is as emotionally compelling as it is stylistically daring.