Mozart becomes extremely emotional, almost romantic, in this piano concerto. Vasco Dantas underlined this with his introverted, almost flawless playing, which, despite all the sentiment, did not lack a virtuoso structure, the soft, almost flattering touch, the flowing melodic lines and sparkling runs as well as the finely graduated dynamics. The equally intimate and brilliant solo cadenza in the first movement is a delight.
Playful, elegant and excellently coordinated: the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Douglas Bostock.
Introverted, almost flawless playing: the soloist Vasco Dantas
The young, award-winning Portuguese pianist Vasco Dantas played with the SWDKO for the second time after 2021. The Piano concerto no. 26 „Coronation Concerto“ KV 537, was now on the program. Composed in 1788, it was played as part of the imperial coronation of Leopold II in Frankfurt in 1790. It remains strangely fragmentary; the left hand is not fully written out because, as we now assume, Mozart probably improvised here. With this three-movement work, the composer made the finest, ornament-rich lace for the coronation regalia. The themes branch out into delicate, dappled passages that alternate with long, decorated, scene-copied and chromatic runs. They are varied in nuances and accentuated with lush beats. Dusted over it: glittering pageantry with timpani and brass instruments.
Mozart becomes extremely emotional, almost romantic, in this piano concerto. Vasco Dantas underlined this with his introverted, almost flawless playing, which, despite all the sentiment, did not lack a virtuoso structure, the soft, almost flattering touch, the flowing melodic lines and sparkling runs as well as the finely graduated dynamics. The equally intimate and brilliant solo cadenza in the first movement is a delight. Douglas Bostock gave the SWDKO, which had now expanded to include wind instruments and timpani, precise instructions; the orchestra, which played harmoniously and discreetly, gave priority to the soloist.