Piano Sonata No.8 In A Minor, K.310 / Fantasia K.396 / Rondo K.511 / Variations On A Minuet By J.P. Duport, K.573

This 1976 Vanguard release captures Alfred Brendel during a pivotal decade of his career, when he was solidifying his reputation as one of the preeminent interpreters of Mozart’s keyboard works. The selection of the A Minor Sonata, K. 310, reflects Brendel’s commitment to exploring the darker, more introspective dimensions of the Classical canon, moving away from the light, rococo interpretations that had dominated mid-century Mozart performances.

The recording demonstrates Brendel’s characteristic intellectual rigor and structural clarity, traits that defined his long-standing partnership with Vanguard Records. By pairing the sonata with the Fantasia in C Minor and the Variations on a Minuet by Duport, the album serves as a curated survey of Mozart’s compositional versatility. It was received by critics of the era as a hallmark of disciplined scholarship married to profound musical intuition, helping to set the standard for period-conscious yet modern pianism.