Concertos for Piano and Strings & Piano Sonata

On this fascinating album, pianist Saskia Giorgini explores the porous boundaries between chamber music and concerto, weaving a nuanced narrative that connects Mozart's lyrical elegance with Shostakovich's biting humor. Mozart's Piano Concerto in A major, KV 414, originally written for both orchestra and string quartet, reveals its intimate side in this chamber music setting – its melodic grace and restrained complexity enriched by subtle interplay. Shostakovich's Concerto No. 1 for piano, trumpet and strings, by contrast, bursts with irony and theatrical flair, shifting in a flash from parody to poignancy. The album concludes with Shostakovich's Piano Sonata No. 2, a work of sharp introspection and formal inventiveness. The sonata, written in 1943 and dedicated to his late teacher Leonid Nikolajev, carries a subtle, tragic undertone, moving between Baroque clarity, melancholic lyricism and restrained, challenging modernism – a deeply personal counterpoint to the extroverted brilliance of the concerto. Together, these works form a tradition of innovation, where form, function and emotion collide – resulting in music that is as emotionally compelling as it is stylistically bold. Saskia Giorgini, a pianist with exceptional depth and imagination, brings her distinctive refinement to every phrase. Her acclaimed discography with PENTATONE includes Liszt's Harmonies poétiques et religieuses (Diapason d'or, 2021) and Consolations (Gramophone Critics' Choice 2023), both praised for their poetic insight and technical brilliance. She has also collaborated with tenor Ian Bostridge on celebrated recordings of Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin (2020), Respighi Songs (2021) and Twilight Schumann Songs (2025). This release also marks the debut of trumpeter Per Ivarsson at PENTATONE, while the Trondheim Soloists return to the label after two previous recordings: Transfigured Night – Haydn/Schönberg (2018) with Alisa Weilerstein and Haydn & Stamitz (2020) with Ana de la Vega and Ramón Ortega Quero. With this new album, Giorgini once again confirms her status as one of the most engaging and versatile pianists of our time.