W.A. Mozart: The Chamber Concertos | Cristian Sandrin and the ECO Ensemble

"wonderful clarity and precision" The Gramophone about Cristian Sandrin

Join Cristian Sandrin, an outstanding pianist we are privileged to have as our co-Artistic Director, and the renowned English Chamber Orchestra Ensemble in a fresh presentation of Mozart's beloved piano concertos K414, K415 and K449, performed as a piano quintet. Cristian is blazing a trail by shedding a new light on classical works. Also returning to the Kettner Concerts series is the accomplished chamber ensemble of the famous English Chamber Orchestra. Together they will reveal all the spell-binding complexity of these masterpieces of the concerto repertoire.

Repertoire:

W.A. Mozart:

Piano Concerto No. 12 in A major K414

Piano Concerto No.13 in C major K415

Piano Concerto No. 14 in E-flat major K449

Born into a family of musicians from Bucharest, Cristian Sandrin has been surrounded by classical music all his life. Cristian is especially devoted to the Classical and Romantic repertoire. His passion for Mozart’s piano concertos led him to direct from the keyboard several concertos during Summer Festivals at the Royal Academy of Music, as well as for the official opening of the Angela Burgess Recital Hall. From 2018–2020 he was privileged to tour the UK as an artist of the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme. Additionally, He is a scholarship holder of the Imogen Cooper Music Trust benefiting from her unique one-to-one guidance and mentorship since 2017. He graduate in 2019 from the Royal Academy of Music, receiving a DipRAM, MMus whilst being part of the Advanced Diploma programme.

In 2023 he has been invited to become the co-Artistic Director of the much-admired Kettner Concerts which are held in the David Lloyd George Hall of the National Liberal Club, Rachmaninov’s favourite London recital room and the venue where he performed his European farewell concert.

In 2021 Cristian travelled to Romania for his debut with the acclaimed George Enescu Philharmonic performing Mozart's K503 Piano Concerto in C major at the country's foremost music venue: The Romanian Atheneum.Since 2020, Cristian has performed challenging solo programmes including Beethoven's last three sonatas and Bach's Goldberg Variations in famous venues across Europe from Berlin’s Konzerthaus and the Radio Hall in Bucharest to London’s LSO St Luke’s. In February 2025 Cristian had his debut recital at St John Smith Square in London as well as Sala Puccini in Milan. Cristian will perform

His debut CD Correspondances (Antarctica Records 2022) featuring music by Ravel, Enescu and Cyril Scott has been highly acclaimed in Europe and accross the Atlantic: the German Magazine Piano News selected it as the CD of the Month whilst the American Record Guide named it “the highlight of this month’s listening. Cristianhas released two new albums in 2025. The first album, dedicated to Beethoven’s Late Piano Sonatas, was released by the Evil Penguin in Belgium. This album has received widespread acclaim in Germany and Belgium, earning Cristian an invitation to present the recording on BBC Radio 3’s “In Tune” programme. In May, Cristian launched the second album of the year, a unique project: the first complete recording of Purcell’s Keyboard Suites on the modern piano. This CD has been named the “Instrumental Choice” by the BBC Music Magazine in the July 2025 issue. Cristian will have his debut with the English Chamber Orchestra Ensemble and perform Mozart Concertos in London in November 2025.

The English Chamber Orchestra has its roots in the Goldsbrough Orchestra, founded in 1948; its name changed in 1960 and since then it has remained under the artistic direction of a member of the original group, Quintin Ballardie.

The ECO is one of the world’s leading chamber orchestras, having performed in more countries than any other orchestra, recorded over 1,500 works and played with the world’s greatest musicians in its five decades of history. Over the years its soloists and conductors have included Vladimir Ashkenazy, Janet Baker, Daniel Barenboim, Benjamin Britten, Colin Davis, Placido Domingo, Kiri te Kanawa, Raphael Kubelik, Raymond Leppard, Yehuhi Menuhin, David Oistrakh, Luciano Pavarotti, Murray Perahia, Itzhak Perlman, Andre Previn, Karl Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Georg Solti, Isaac Stern, Mitsuko Uchida, Maxim Vengerov and Pinchas Zukerman.

Since 1977 the ECO is delighted to have had as its Patron HM King Charles III and the Orchestra has performed at many royal events for him and his family, including the late Queen Mother’s 90th birthday celebrations (1990), The Prince of Wales’ 50th birthday Gala Concert (1998) and also the first concert ever to be broadcast from Buckingham Palace.