Saskia Giorgini takes listeners on a journey from Mozart’s intimate, lyrical Piano Concerto in A Major to Shostakovich’s biting, witty Concerto No. 1 and deeply introspective Piano Sonata No. 2. Joined by trumpeter Per Ivarsson and the Trondheim Soloists, this album blends elegance, drama, and emotional depth, offering music that is as thrilling as it is profoundly moving.
“I am so happy to have been able to make this recording with the amazing Trondheim Soloists and trumpeter Per Ivarsson. From the most serene, light, and smiling Mozart, through the grotesque circus acrobatics and the haunting, beautiful broken waltz of Shostakovich’s concerto – this has been an unforgettable journey.
The absolute and breathtaking contrast is Shostakovich’s Second Piano Sonata (written in 1943), where he offers us not only a heartbreaking and merciless view on the loneliness of grief and of human existence, but also a firsthand experience of the collective tragedy of the gruesome Siege of Leningrad. It is music written ‘with his own blood’, an introverted mourning, a tragedy in three acts. This music has haunted and affected me since I first heard it. The effect it had and continues to have on me has been deep.
Music is the most powerful means of communication, carrying us across time, countries, and most of all, lives, making us feel incredibly strong emotions and awakening thoughts that seem to not come from us. As a wonder, you get to feel the deep hopelessness and helplessness of someone else’s life. We all know how many children are born each day in the wrong place. Empathy is a gift we risk losing. Music can nurture it — and perhaps make us feel less alone.”
Saskia Giorgini
A pianist of exceptional depth and imagination, Saskia Giorgini, brings her signature refinement to every phrase. Her acclaimed discography with PENTATONE includes Liszt’s Harmonies poétiques et religieuses (Diapason d’or, 2021) and Consolations (Gramophone Critics’ Choice 2023), both hailed for their poetic insight and technical brilliance. She has also collaborated with tenor Ian Bostridge on celebrated recordings of Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin (2020), Respighi Songs (2021), and Twilight Schumann Songs (2025). This release also marks the PENTATONE debut of trumpeter Per Ivarsson, while the Trondheim Soloists return to the label following two previous recordings: Transfigured Night – Haydn/Schoenberg (2018) with Alisa Weilerstein, and Haydn & Stamitz (2020) with Ana de la Vega and Ramón Ortega Quero. With this new album, Giorgini once again confirms her status as one of today’s most compelling and versatile pianists.
DIGITAL RELEASE DATE: 28 November 2025
PHYSICAL RELEASE DATE: November 2025
