Claudio Abbado
After four decades of artistic collaboration, Maria João Pires and conductor Claudio Abbado have made their first joint recording of Mozart's Piano Concertos Nos. 20 and 27. In the D minor Concerto No. 20, K. 466, Pires emphasizes the work's radiant quality through dark, dramatic nuances—a lightness that particularly distinguishes her Mozart interpretations. In Mozart's last piano concerto, the solemn B-flat major Concerto No. 27, K. 595, she unfolds a dignified intensity that can only be achieved by an artist of her caliber. The Orchestra Mozart, under Abbado's direction, surrounds Pires with perfect sound and stylistic precision, making this recording an outstanding encounter between two important musical figures of our era.