Karin Kei Nagano - Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 12 & 13 (2014/2019) [Hi-Res]

Fifteen year-old pianist Karin Kei Nagano, daughter of Maestro Kent Nagano and pianist Mari Kodama, has opened a new chapter in her young and already brilliant career. Winner of several international prizes, Karin Kei Nagano already displays an outstanding track record: first prize and special jury prize at the International Scriabin Competition (2007); first prize and best interpretation prize at the Berlin International Competition (2007) and first prize at the Anton Rubinstein International Competition (2009-2010). She has also already gone on several international tours.

Supported by the incredible Canadian ensemble Cecilia String Quartet, known worldwide for their expressiveness and generous sound, pianist Karin Kei Nagano gives a personal rendition that is as brilliant as it is elegant of two piano concertos by Mozart: K.414 (in A major) and K.415 (in C major).

Both written in 1782, at the beginning of his independent career, these masterpieces are amongst the first concertante works composed by Mozart after leaving Salzburg for Vienna. This carefully executed double was originally written for a full orchestra, but the composer gave permission for it to be performed “a quattro”. The orchestral magnificence fades away, allowing the musical nuances to be expressed in a more personal way.

By calling upon the artist's virtuosity, this double highlights what Mozart was looking for first and foremost: a “happy medium” between “too difficult” or “too easy”, he said. He later added “here and there, only connoisseurs will find satisfaction but in such a way that even non-connoisseurs must feel content without knowing why”.

With her precise and refined playing, Karin Kei Nagano does justice to this seductive music that was already innovative for its time, and was available to everyone.

Karin Kei Nagano (piano)
Cecilia String Quartet