In 1954 renowned Hungarian-born pianist Lili Kraus signed a contract with distinguished French label Les Discophiles Français in conjunction with the Hayden Society of Boston to record the entire piano works of Mozart including the concertos and chamber music, all to be released during the 1956 bicentennial celebration of Mozart’s birth.
The recording project was a major undertaking and the demands on Kraus were enormous, but by June she had produced an amazing number of Mozart recordings and was then joined by Willi Boskovsky to record 27 of the Mozart-piano violin sonatas that are featured here. A few months later from October through to December cellist Nicolaus Hubner joined with Kraus and Boskovsky to record all of Mozarts trios, but unfortunately before Kraus finished the mammoth project for Les Discophiles Français the firm filed for bankruptcy. Kraus made a few other releases for the label but the grand scheme to record all the composers solo and concerted piano repertoire never materialised.
Willi Boskovsky was born in Vienna and joined the Vienna Academy of music at the age of nine. He is best known as the conductor of the Vienna New Year’s Concert for 25 years while also serving as the Concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra from 1936 to 1979. During this time Boskovsky was also widely acclaimed for his mastery of the violin and was particularly celebrated for his interpretation of Viennese classical music, earning him a prominent place in the world of chamber music. He died in 1991 from his third stroke.
Together, Lili Kraus and Willi Boskovsky crafted a musical partnership that resulted in these captivating piano and violin sonatas. Their collaborative works resonate with a seamless blend of technical brilliance and emotional depth, showcasing the rich traditions of classical music. These sonatas are cherished by music enthusiasts worldwide, reflecting the enduring legacy of these two remarkable artists.
Cut all valve on our 1965 Lyrec system in True Mono* directly from the original dedicated mono master tapes. No equalisation, compression or any other processing was added during the cutting process.
This set of recordings is comprised of eight discs that are housed in five cloth bound letter-pressed gate-fold sleeves with an accompanying box. ERC100 is a limited edition of 100 copies and is priced at £2950. Order here.
* Where everything in the chain from the tape head, the tape pre-amplifier, the cutting amplifier and the dedicated mono cutter head is a single channel pathway: This early technology avoids phase issues (smearing of the sound) that is frequently encountered when cutting with todays dual” or “pseudo” mono cutting systems.
