Scene 1 Indian summer, late afternoon. The house of Pianist 2 in the medium- sized provincial town of H. Pianist 1 enters, grinning broadly as ever, with two large bags full of groceries; the gentlemen are both avid amateur cooks and have agreed to spend this evening together cooking, drinking good wine, smoking cigars and discussing the current state of the universe. Yes, some people discover the true pleasures of life at an early age! It is all the stranger that Pianist 2 puts on a rather grumpy face when he sees that his younger comrade, in addition to a stalk of celery, a net of onions, a bottle of excellent Barolo, a couple of jalapeños and a few other such things, has also fished a score out of one of the bags, which, to Pianist 2’s dismay, judging from its lying format, can only contain music for four hands.
Mozart: Sonatas for four hands
Thomas Beijer & Nicolas van Poucke
About the album
Tracklist
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sonata for Piano 4 Hands in B-flat major, K. 358
Sonata for Piano 4 Hands in F major, K. 497
Sonata for Piano 4 Hands in C major, K. 521
Composers
“How it sounded at the time - on a totally different instrument, of course - is of course impossible to trace and can only be conjured up in one's imagination, but I can very well imagine that it must have been something like this. And that is to the credit of all who were involved in this recording. Kudos!”
“The pleasure the pianists experienced in recording the material is conveyed in vibrant performances that sparkle with joy, energy, and life. While the pieces might make references to other Mozart works—van Poucke notes, for example, that allusions to Don Giovanni can be heard in the F major sonata—no one need look beyond the sonatas when their satisfactions are so plentiful. As per usual, part of the pleasure derived from listening to the recording has to do with the pristine clarity of the production, a distinguishing characteristic of TRPTK releases in general.”
“I can sense that Thomas Beijer and Nicolas van Poucke are long-time musical friends. Indeed, how much they are in accord about dynamics, modest rubati and tempi! [...] The recording is outstanding, as we have come to expect from TRPTK.”
“These two pianists have thus recognised the decisive criterion of this complex material and transformed it with playful nonchalance, aplomb and humour into crystal-clear and at the same time sensitive "human" communication. The high-resolution, hyper-transparent and at the same time warmly shining sound image further enhances the listening pleasure.”
“As a duo [...] they trust each other blindly, dare to approach the music without gloves, work closely together and manage to make it a sonic feast both glowing and subtle. [...] The recording quality pursued by the Dutch label TRPTK really needs no more introduction: I know of no recording bearing the stamp of this 'house' that does not make a profound impression, irrespective of whether in stereo or surround mode.”
“This is Mozart as we love him best. Not an elegant porcelain figure but a tough, bold eighteenth-century man with his eyes on the future through music that transcends formalities. It can be inferred from the two late sonatas but also from the early, energetically and fiercely performed Sonata in B-flat, KV 358. Which sounds like a divertimento that shuns superficiality and instead taps into deeper layers.”
“A bold statement, but wouldn't the world be quite a bit better off if Mozart's music were listened to more? I think so. Just listen to both gentlemen on this fine release from TRTPK. Yet another brilliant recording made in the Westvest90 opposite Nolet's mill (sic) there in Schiedam, where Thomas Beijer and Nicolas van Poucke temporarily resided and glowingly devoted themselves to the piano gems of one Mr. Mozart.”
Credits
| Producer, recording & mastering engineer | Brendon Heinst |
| Editor | Hans Erblich |
| Liner notes | Thomas BeijerNicolas van Poucke |
| Piano technician | Martijn van Dijk |
| Photography & artwork | Brendon Heinst |
| Behind the Scenes photography | Nicolas van PouckeThomas Beijer |
| Genre | Classical |
| Instrumentation | Chamber |
| Recording date | December 2021 |
| Recording location | Westvest90, Schiedam (NL) |
| Recording format | DSD 11.2 MHz 1 bit |
| Mastering format | PCM 352.8 kHz 64 bit |
| Cat. No. | TTK0086 |
| EAN | 7141265818412 |
| Release date | 14 October 2022 |
| Download |
Technical specifications
| Microphones | DPA d:dicate 4041-SP |
| Microphone preamplifiers | Millennia HV-3D-8 |
| AD/DA conversion | Merging Technologies HapiMerging Technologies AnubisGrimm Audio CC2 master clock |
| Monitoring | KEF Blade TwoKEF LS50 MetaHegel H30Hegel C55 |
| Cabling | Furutech custom microphone cablesFurutech custom loudspeaker cablesFurutech custom power cablesGrimm Audio TPR8 breakout cablesTRPTK Signature network cables |
| Misc. | JCAT Optimo 3 DuoJCAT M12 Switch GoldJCAT NET Card XEComputer Audio Design GC3Furutech NCF Boosters |