Mozart Andsnes

This concert wil be streamed: Closing Concert

In Grieghallen the Oslo Philharmonic and Leif Ove Andsnes perform Mozart’s Piano Concertos nos. 20 and 21 and his Piano Quartet no. 1. He composed all three works in 1785 and 1786, when he was in an extremely creative period which was to change the piano concerto for ever. In the course of two years he wrote several masterpieces in the genre, in which he reviewed the roles of the soloist and the orchestra and created new opportunities for communication and dialogue.

‘At this time a piano concerto would always start with the orchestra presenting different motives and melodies, and when the soloist entered, he or she would play variations on the same material that one had heard from the orchestra. With Concerto No. 20, Mozart does something radically new. He makes the soloist enter with completely different music than what the orchestra has played, thereby creating a contrast and a broader storytelling, where one immediately has the feeling that soloist is an individual, apart from the orchestra,’ explains Leif Ove Andsnes.

He has recently embarked on a project planned to last for several years, in which he will make recordings and tours based on these two highly productive years in Mozart’s life.

(In photo: Leif Ove Andsnes; Photo: Gregor Hohenberg)