Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes spotlights one of Mozart’s most fascinating periods in this stunning new double album recorded with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Mozart Momentum 1785 is a musical ‘year in the life’ of Mozart, by that time firmly established in Vienna as a pianist and composer. Having unveiled six new piano concertos the year before, he began exploring new depths in the form in 1785, and the three he wrote that year, K.466, K.467 and K.482, are among his finest.

This project – which will soon see the release of a second album, Mozart Momentum 1786 – follows the success of Andsnes’ Beethoven cycle with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Fans of that collaboration will already expect a high level of rapport between soloist and band in Mozart Momentum 1785, but what’s remarkable here is the precision and nuance the orchestra brings to the table despite performing in unusual circumstances. The musicians recorded these works under physical distancing conditions in the Berlin Philharmonie during the city’s lockdown in November 2020, but you wouldn’t know it from listening...