Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 9 in E-Flat Major, KV 271 -Jenamy- & 12 KV 414, Violin Concerto No. 2 KV 211 Evren Ozel, Jan Mráček, ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien & Howard Griffiths

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791):
• 1 Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Major, KV 211: I. Allegro moderato (Cadenzas by Norbert Kubát) 09:00
• 2 Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Major, KV 211: II. Andante (Cadenzas by Norbert Kubát) 07:03
• 3 Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Major, KV 211: III. Rondeau. Allegro (Cadenzas by Norbert Kubát) 04:04
• Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-Flat Major, KV 271 "Jenamy":
• 4 Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-Flat Major, KV 271 "Jenamy": I. Allegro (Cadenzas by W. A. Mozart) 10:24
• 5 Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-Flat Major, KV 271 "Jenamy": II. Andantino (Cadenzas by W. A. Mozart) 10:16
• 6 Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-Flat Major, KV 271 "Jenamy": III. Rondeau (Cadenzas by W. A. Mozart) 09:37
• Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, KV 414/385P:
• 7 Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, KV 414/385P: I. Allegro (Cadenzas by W. A. Mozart) 10:19
• 8 Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, KV 414/385P: II. Andante (Cadenzas by W. A. Mozart) 07:34
• 9 Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, KV 414/385P: III. Rondeau (Cadenzas by W. A. Mozart) 06:28
• Total Runtime 01:14:45

Info for Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 9 in E-Flat Major, KV 271 -Jenamy- & 12 KV 414, Violin Concerto No. 2 KV 211

Mozart’s piano concerto in E flat KV 271 has long been known as the ‘Jeunehomme’ — but it was discovered in 2004 that it was actually composed for Louise Victoire Jenamy; Mozart misspelled her name as ‘jenomy’ in a letter to his father in 1778 and so created a misunderstanding that lasted for over two centuries. Mozart composed his piano concerto KV 414 in Vienna in 1783; Evren Ozel, the soloist in these two works, says that this work “is more carefree and allows the performers to explore a gentler and more tender side of Mozart”. It was only two years after his first violin concerto that Mozart – then 19 years old and concertmaster to the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg — composed his second, KV 211; two more followed within the year. “The art of performing Mozart’s music is to play it with simplicity and life while remaining true to the Classical style”, says Jan Mráček, the second soloist on this, the twelfth volume in the Next Generation Mozart Soloists series conducted by Howard Griffiths.

Jan Mráček, violin
Evren Ozel, piano
ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien
Howard Griffiths, conductor

Jan Mráček
was born in 1991 in Pilsen and began studying violin at the age of 5 with Professor Magdaléna Micková. From 2003 he studied with Professor Jiří Fišer, graduating with honours from the Prague Conservatory in 2013 and until recently at the University of Music and the Performing Arts in Vienna under the guidance of the Vienna Symphony concert master Jan Pospíchal.

As a teenager he enjoyed his first major successes, winning numerous competitions, participating in the master classes of Maestro Václav Hudeček – the beginning of a long and fruitful association. He won the Czech national conservatoire competition in 2008, the Hradec International Competition with the Dvořák concerto and the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra in 2009, was the youngest Laureate of the Prague Spring International Festival competition in 2010, and in 2011 he became the youngest soloist in the history of the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2014 he took first prize at Vienna’s Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition at the Vienna Konzerthaus. When the victory of Jan Mráček was confirmed, there was thunderous applause from the audience and the jury. The jury president announced “Jan is a worthy winner. He has fascinated us from the first round. Not only with his technical skills, but also with his charisma on stage”.

He has performed as soloist with the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra and Romanian Radio Symphony, both under Sascha Goetzel, Lappeenranta City Orchestra (Finland), Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra (FOK), Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra and almost all Czech regional orchestras.

Jan Mráček had the honour of being invited by Maestro Jiří Bělohlávek to guest lead the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in their three concert residency at Vienna’s Musikverein, and the European Youth Orchestra under Gianandrea Noseda and Xian Zhang on their 2015 summer tour.

In 2008 he joined the Lobkowicz Piano Trio, which took first prize and the audience prize at the International Johannes Brahms Competition in Pörtschach (Austria) in 2014. His recording of the Dvořák violin concerto and other works by the Czech composer under James Judd with the Czech National Symphony was recently released on the Onyx label and has received excellent reviews.

In addition to his British debut with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, this season Jan Mráček made his American debut with the St Louis Symphony under Han-Na Chang, with the Symphony of Florida with James Judd, debuts in Dubai with the Vienna Concert Verein and in China with the Slovenian Philharmonic, the Czech Philharmonic under Manuel López-Gómez as well as recitals at festivals in Austria, Switzerland and Italy. In April he made his Swiss debut with the Tchaikovsky concerto as an Orpheum Foundation soloist in Zurich’s Tonhalle with the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra under Vladimir Fedoseyev. In July he will perform with the Asian Youth Orchestra in Tokyo; next season he has three performances of the Dvorak concerto in Prague with the Czech Philharmonic under Jiří Bělohlávek. Jan Mráček plays on a Carlo Fernando Landolfi violin, Milan 1758, generously loaned to him by Mr Peter Biddulph.

Evren Ozel
American pianist Evren Ozel has established himself as a musician of “refined restraint” (Third Coast Review), combining fluent virtuosity with probing, thoughtful interpretations. Having performed extensively in the United States and abroad, Evren is the recipient of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, 2022 Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant, and is currently represented by Concert Artists Guild as an Ambassador Prize Winner of their 2021 Victor Elmaleh Competition.

Since his debut with the Minnesota Orchestra at age 11, Ozel has been a featured soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, and The Orchestra Now at Bard College, with conductors Jahja Ling, Courtney Lewis, and Leon Botstein. In March of 2025, his first album of Mozart Concertos with the ORF Radio Symphony of Vienna and conductor Howard Griffiths will be released on Alpha Classics.

Ozel’s 2024-25 season highlights include solo recitals for La Jolla Music Society, Capital Region Classical, and Cal Performances. Previously, he has performed recitals for Harvard Musical Association, Schubert Club, Chopin Society of Minnesota, and The Gilmore. Carrying a vast and varied recital repertoire, his 2023-24 season included a program ranging from Bach and Rameau to Ligeti, as well as a program of Beethoven’s last three Piano Sonatas.

An esteemed chamber musician, Ozel performs alongside artists like David Finckel and Wu Han, Stella Chen, Zlatomir Fung, Paul Huang, and Peter Wiley. He spent four summers at the Marlboro Festival, and is currently a 2024-27 Bowers Program Artist for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. His 2024-25 season includes a tour with Musicians from Marlboro, as well as CMS concerts at Alice Tully Hall.

Ozel resides in Boston, where he is currently a candidate in New England Conservatory’s prestigious and highly-exclusive Artist Diploma program, under the tutelage of Wha Kyung Byun. Other important mentors include Jonathan Biss, Imogen Cooper, Richard Goode, Andras Schiff, and Mitsuko Uchida.

Booklet for Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 9 in E-Flat Major, KV 271 -Jenamy- & 12 KV 414, Violin Concerto No. 2 KV 211