Mozart: The Sonata Project - Salzburg

Yundi is best known for his virtuosic, probing accounts of Romantic repertoire, chief among them Chopin, Liszt and mid-to-late Beethoven. But he’s a fine Mozartian, too, as witnessed in his earlier 2005 live album Vienna Recital. Here, Yundi presents a programme of some of Mozart’s most beloved and profoundly beautiful works. He begins with the Piano Sonata No. 11, work whose opening variation movement is often overshadowed by its “Rondo alla turca” finale. From the start, and throughout, there’s a richness to the piano tone as Yundi employs the full dynamic range and sustaining capabilities of his modern Steinway. And this is where Yundi’s delicate articulation comes in, tempering the “contemporary” sound with a Classical grace that brings every note alive. It’s a combination that works especially well in arguably Mozart’s greatest piano sonata, No. 14 in C Minor, K. 457. Here, Yundi’s approach immediately suits the music’s proto-Beethoven style and adds passion in particular to the final movement’s agitation and angst.