Following his exploration of the Gran Partita (Vol. 1, jpc 12167970), Nicolas Baldeyrou opens the door to concertante music in this second volume. The program reveals Mozart's two faces: the youthful, all-conquering genius of his Paris period and the towering master of his final years in Vienna—two phases united by his overriding desire to make the instrument "sing." "Performing these important works on period instruments is not a nostalgic exercise, but an attempt to restore the acoustic authenticity of the music," says Baldeyrou. For the performance, using a copy of the historical basset clarinet is essential to reproduce the melodic line, tessitura, and tonal colors that Mozart demanded. While the modern clarinet "homogenizes" the sound, the historical basset clarinet offers an infinite palette of tones. Together with the Cologne Academy and leading soloists, Baldeyrou plays with the inner vulnerability of the instrument, shaping each note to bring us as close as possible to the composer's ultimate creative impulse.