Modena/Gregoletto
Sonatas For Piano/Four Hands

As one of the great virtuoso pianists of his time, Mozart composed a wealth of piano
concertos and sonatas that rank among his most famous instrumental works. Not so
well known, however, are the duet compositions he wrote for the instrument and to which
this CD is dedicated: together with the large body of arranged orchestral music that
publishers released, they provide evidence of the healthy scene of domestic music-making
in existence during the Classical period.

First to be featured on the compilation is the Sonata in C, KV19d – a composition whose
authorship has been disputed but which has nevertheless become part of the traditional
canon of Mozart’s piano duets. Moving on to KV381 and KV358 (which both date from the
early 1770s), we encounter two sonatas whose galant sound world is reminiscent of the
roughly contemporary ‘Salzburg Symphonies’. Their allusion to orchestral colouring is
hardly surprising given the fuller sonority afforded by two players instead of one, and
there is little doubt that Mozart wrote the works in order to perform them with his sister
Nannerl, who was an excellent pianist.

Mozart would periodically return to four-hand piano music later in his career – the Fugue
in G minor K401 and the Andante with Variations in G K501 date from the early 1780s and
1786 respectively. Comprising a charming collection of works, the compilation as a whole
brims with musicality and includes historically informed performances from Modena and
Gregoletto on fortepiano – a beautifully balanced partnership that convincingly argues
for the duets’ equal standing alongside solo works.