Piano et Cordes - Mozart, Schumann

The programme: MOZARTConcerto for Piano No. 12 in A major, K. 414/385p, arranged for string quintet and pianoSCHUMANNPiano Quintet in E flat major, Op. 44 The artists: Javier Perianes, piano Deborah Nemtanu, violin Olivia Hughes, violin Jossalyn Jensen, viola Benoît Grenet, cello Eckhard Rudolph, double bass

Schumann's Piano Quintet heralds a remarkable lineage of scores written for this ensemble. In 1842, the composer served as a pioneer: while piano trios and piano quartets were richly represented during the Classical period, the quintet existed hardly at all except in the form of arrangements of concertos. The chamber version of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 12 reflects this very common practice. Having performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, Javier Perianes is reunited with musicians he knows well in the intimate setting of the Salle Cortot. Playing in a quintet brings out the finesse of the instrumental blend and the precision of the pianistic touch. Schumann, moreover, wrote his Quintet to showcase the incandescent virtuosity of his wife, Clara. With this expansive and generous work, the quintet asserts itself as a sovereign genre of Romanticism.

Listening guide: an introductory talk will be offered at the start of the concert.