The centrepiece of this exhilarating disc, themed loosely around music by Haydn and Mozart written between 1777 and 1786, is the latter’s Piano Concerto No 9 in E flat K271, known as the “Jeunehomme”, a play on the name of the original pianist, Victoire Jenamy, for whom it was written. The song-like quality of the slow movement prompted Alexandre Tharaud to programme the concert aria Ch’io mi scordi di te? alongside it, gratefully and gracefully sung by Joyce DiDonato. Tharaud has had fun interjecting his own magpie cadenzas into Mozart’s Rondo K386 and Haydn’s D major piano concerto. The French pianist’s restless energy and esprit are infectious throughout. Les Violons du Roy and Bernard Labadie are sparkling partners.
