Mozart With Friends: Nils Mönkemeyer

Inspired by the fact that Mozart had often composed for friends and fellow musicians to play with him in good company, ECHO Award winner Nils Mönkemeyer invited his own dear friends and top classical artists Sabine Meyer, Julia Fischer and William Youn to record some very special duos and trios by the composer. The "Kegelstatt-Trio" is the perfect example for the motto of the album since Mozart wrote it while playing skittles with his friends. He later performed the trio, playing the viola. Besides that, Nils chose to explore the development of the famous composer, starting with pieces from "The London Sketchbook", which Mozart wrote when he was 8 or 9 years old, or the Sonata in F major for violine and piano (but recorded in a version for viola and piano), written by an 11-year-old Mozart. The selected pieces from "The London Sketchbook", originally written for piano, were arranged and compiled by William Youn who is one of the leading Mozart interpreters of his generation.