Putting together this CD with such well known concertos in a more intimate setting was a very personal process. Having played the concertos with full orchestra numerous times, I was focused on creating a musical environment that was very much in a chamber music atmosphere. I decided to gather musicians that were all friends and like-minded musically to create a quartet/quintet. It was wonderful to be able to work intensely and have the flexibility that a smaller group affords. I have no intention of replacing the wonderful color and depth that a full orchestral sound can give but rather show an alternate color and take on these well-known concertos. I had a preference in the Chopin for the piano part to maintain its original solo entrance rather than employing it as part of the tutti section. There was an option to have the Mozart as a string quintet but we decided to keep Mozart’s original formation and used the official Bärenreiter chamber s...