Our Recording of the Month for September is Mozart Momentum, a rather special double disc. Like many musicians, Leif Ove Andsnes has been playing Mozart most of his life – the D Minor Concerto was the first piece he played with a professional orchestra, aged 14 – but for his latest Sony recording he’s chosen to focus on one particular year. 1785 was an annus mirabilis for Mozart. Recently released from the bonds of patronage in Salzburg, he was now working tirelessly to establish himself as a Viennese freelancer in competition with the many other talented musicians about town. Teaming up with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra as director as well as soloist, Andsnes surveys not just the three remarkable piano concertos to have come out of this year, but also the chamber music and other works that would come to define the composer’s short-lived maturity. Clive Paget caught up with the Norwegian virtuoso to learn more.

Mozart’s journey to maturity actually starts in 1781 when he’s kicked out of his job in Salzburg and winds up...