Michael Wessel - Mozart the Travelling Whirlwind (Remastered) (2025) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Is the German pianist, Michael Wessel, one of those coveted players who can lift Mozart’s sonatas out of the ordinary? Listening to this recording it struck me that he indeed is someone who can.

Doing some research on the internet I came across an article in the Nordbayerischer Kurier (20/03/2017) in which Wessel admitted that “Als Student etwa hatte ich große Probleme mit Mozart” (as a student, I had big problems with Mozart). Asked by his piano teacher why, Wessel said that he had always thought of Mozart being “ein Spieldosenkomponist mit Klimperbegleitung” (a music box composer with ramshackle accompaniment). Whereupon his teacher, greatly dismayed, said: “then we will start with Mozart”.

We may argue to what extent this has contributed to Michael Wessel becoming something of a Mozart guru, fact is that from that moment on he discovered that these sonatas were so much more than ‘Spieldosenmusik’; that Mozart's genius was able to express heights and depths, or, as he said: “Ein Mozart mit Abgründen”. That must have been his inspiration for his previous Mozart release (2015 RBCD Animato label) entitled ‘Mozart in Moll’ (in minor). This first release in High Definition, however, pertains to another emotional side of Mozart, the poetical dimension: ‘Mozart the Poet’.

TRACKLIST

1. Michael Wessel - Piano Sonata No. 7 in C Major, K. 309: I. Allegro con spirito
2. Michael Wessel - Piano Sonata No. 7 in C Major, K. 309: II. Andante un poco adagio
3. Michael Wessel - Piano Sonata No. 7 in C Major, K. 309: III. Rondo. Allegretto grazioso
4. Michael Wessel - Piano Sonata No. 9 in D Major, K. 311: I. Allegro con spirito
5. Michael Wessel - Piano Sonata No. 9 in D Major, K. 311: II. Andante con espressione
6. Michael Wessel - Piano Sonata No. 9 in D Major, K. 311: III. Rondo. Allegro
7. Michael Wessel - Piano Sonata No. 8 in A Minor, K. 310: I. Allegro maestoso
8. Michael Wessel - Piano Sonata No. 8 in A Minor, K. 310: II. Andante cantabile con espressione
9. Michael Wessel - Piano Sonata No. 8 in A Minor, K. 310: III. Presto
10. Michael Wessel - The London Sketchbook, K. 15a-15ss: No. 15, Piano Sonata in G Minor, K. 15p
11. Michael Wessel - The London Sketchbook, K. 15a-15ss: No. 21, Siciliano in D Minor, K. 15u
12. Michael Wessel - Allegro in B-Flat Major, K. 400



Thanks to the Original customer.