Ronald Brautigam, with the congenial support of Die Kölner Akademie under Michael Alexander Willens, here performs Mozart’s Piano Concertos Nos 24 and 25, both composed in 1786.

The C major concerto is in fact one of the most expansive of all classical piano concertos, rivalling Beethoven’s fifth concerto. The grandeur of both concertos immediately made them popular fare in the concert hall – Mendelssohn, for instance, had No.24 in his repertoire through the 1820s and 1830s.

On his copy of a fortepiano from 1795, and with orchestral forces corresponding to what Mozart would have had, Brautigam creates a sound with which Mozart would have been familiar.

On the first release in the team’s traversal of Mozart’s concertos, Brautigam was described by International Record Review as ‘an absolutely instinctive Mozartian, with… melodic playing of consummate beauty’, going on to congratulate him on finding the ‘ideal partners’ for the project.’