“The first volume, covering the year leading up to Le Nozze di Figaro, incorporates three masterpieces, the turbulent D minor (K466), and the contrastingly sunny C major (K467) and E flat major (K482). If the great D minor seems to foreshadow Don Giovanni (1787), the other two are imbued with the charm and spirit of Figaro, notably in the piano’s interplay with the MCO’s superb wind players. Andsnes proves himself a patrician Mozartian, completely in his element.”

Sunday Times, Hugh Canning 16 August 2021

“… Leif Ove Andsnes and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra members enjoying a close rapport of shapely and sensitive music-making, tempos consistently well-judged and all beautifully recorded …“

colinscolumn.com, Colin Anderson, 17 July 2021

“Leif Ove Andsnes, directing the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, is on marvellous form, brilliantly blending the concerto’s lyrical and dramatic elements. And what superb orchestral support he secures …”

The Arts Desk, Graham Rickson, 16 July 2021

“This double album is an eloquent as well as brilliant statement of the timelessness of Mozart and the quality of Andsnes’ playing. Bravo!”

Piano News, Carsten Dürer, July / August 2021

“Pure playing, no vibrato, clear lines. Most of the music was recorded in Berlin, a meter and a half away from each other, but that has in no way impaired the subtle interplay. Andsnes, who sets himself up as a true primus inter pares, plays an extraordinary mix of solo cadenzas in the three concertos. From Beethoven, Hummel, Géza Anda to an all-new one by his producer John Fraser. For a project like this, you couldn’t have a better ensemble than the versatile Mahler Chamber Orchestra.”

Trouw, Peter van der Lint, 25 June 2021 ★★★★

“Reliably sparkling in his touch, stylistically confident in a wide-ranging repertoire and virtuosic almost to a fault: With these qualities, the Norwegian Leif Ove Andsnes has earned himself a firm place among the world’s most sought-after pianists … With the Those in need of thoughtful consolation in these disturbing times can find it in Andsnes’ Mozart.”

Der Spiegel, Johannes Salzwedel, Sommer 2021 

“ … inside this Mozart double album, it is an opera scene teeming with colourful characters who converse, cry out, say sweet words to each other, brawl, reconcile, then suddenly disappear … With his constantly varied touch, his barbed accents and the astonishing quality of his ever alertful left hand, Andsnes adds grace and tenderness to the candenzas of the slow movements. Mozart as we like it!”

Le Nouvel Observateur, Philippe Cassard, June 2021

“This is a movingly performed and fascinating reference recording, a highlight not only for Mozart fans!”

Bayerische Rundfunk, Meret Forster, 19 June 2021

“Andsnes IS music, IS respect and love for music. That makes him 1 of the greatest living pianists. And this double CD the experience of exceptional musicality.”

klara.be, Mark Janssens, 14 June 2021

“This new recording does the music proud. Andsnes joins his long-time sparring partners the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the results are as masterly and finished and perfect as the music itself..”

The Telegraph, Ivan Hewett, 11 June 2021

“Andsnes is always at the centre, a clear and distinct soloist, a terrific virtuoso – and a guide who leads us through the music and shows all the subtle, thematic and motivic connections in and between the movements.”

Bergens Tidende, Peter Larsen, 11 June 2021
Six stars

“The interplay with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra is powerful and demanding … Mozart’s fresh musical thoughts bubble back and forth and convey composed joy of playing … At last, Mozart performed from the heart …”

Radio Klassik, 6 June 2021
CD der Woche

Andsnes takes a subdued, almost quizzical approach to the refined, intricate first movement, and makes ever note matter in a sparking performance of the animated finale. 

New York Times, Anthony Tommasini, 4 June 2021

“Goosebump moments from the beginning … One could not wish for more musically eloquent, precise and expressive interpreters than Leif Ove Andsnes and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra for such an undertaking with their finely differentiated expressive palette.”

NDR, Chantal Nastasi, 28 May 2021
CD der Woche

“Dazzlingly imaginative music making”

BBC Radio 3 Music Matters, Tom Service, 22 May 2021

“With this album Leif Ove Andsnes writes himself directly into the Olympus of Mozart interpretation … Leif Ove Andsnes at the zenith of his career in terms of technique and depth of expression. 5 stars!”

onlinemerker.com, Dr. Ingobert Waltenberger, 22 May 2021

“a remarkable achievement.”

Gramophone Magazine, Harriet Smith, June 2021
Recording of the Month