'Here and there are things that only connoisseurs will be able to appreciate fully, but I have seen to it that those less knowledgeable will also be satisfied without knowing why', wrote Mozart to his father.
The Mozart memorial in Vienna Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) composed his Piano Concerto No 20 in 1785. He was living in Vienna at the time, working as a free-lance pianist and composer. In fact, between 1782 and 1786 he wrote 15 piano concertos – mostly for his own performance at subscription concerts. He completed the K466 concerto on the 10th of February 1785 and performed it the very next day at one of his own concerts. His father Leopold arrived in Vienna on that day and reported to Mozart’s sister Nannerl:
Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
'We arrived at one o’clock… The copyist was still copying when we arrived, and your brother did not even have time to play through the Rondo, as he had to supervise the copying… On the same evening we drove to his subscription concert, at which a great many members of the aristocracy were present… The concert was magnificent and the orchestra played splendidly. In addition to the symphonies, a female singer from the Italian theatre sang two arias. Then we had Wolfgang’s new and very fine concerto…'
Marc Taddei Photo: Simon Clark
This concerto represents a turning point for Mozart. It’s the first of only two he wrote in a minor key, and its dark vitality is a harbinger of things to come two years later in the D minor music of Don Giovanni. The overt passion and sharp contrasts in the work look even further forward to the Romantic age and the titanic concertos of Beethoven. And for the first time in his piano concertos, Mozart adds trumpets and drums to the orchestra. If you remember the 1984 film Amadeus, you'll recognise the second movement which was used in the final scene and end credits of the movie.
Recorded by RNZ Concert on 7 July 2017, in Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington.
Producer: David McCaw
Engineer: Graham Kennedy
