19th Piano Concerto (Mozart)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 19th piano concerto in F major, KV 459 is a piano concerto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . According to a different count, it is the composer's 13th piano concerto.

Emergence

The 19th Piano Concerto, like its five predecessors, was written in Vienna in 1784 . Like its predecessor, due to the march-like theme of the main movement, it is considered a military concert . In addition, it is often referred to as the 2nd Coronation Concerto, as Mozart probably performed this alongside the original Coronation Concerto KV 537 . The occasion for this performance was the coronation of Emperor Leopold II in Frankfurt in 1790 . It is not known whether the concert was previously performed. In 1786, however, Mozart sent this work to Prince von Fürstenberg in Donaueschingen , who might have it performed.

To the music

1st movement: Allegro

The main theme, which has become cheerful and popular, is of a quick march-like character. It remains, unusually, the only fully formulated topic, which is only followed by secondary motifs. In the solo exposure , a second theme is introduced by the orchestra, which the solo piano immediately takes up and expands. This theme isn't march-like and doesn't seem to fit the musical context very well. The short implementation is entirely thematic, but leaves out the second topic. It begins with a further beat of the piano. Only the recapitulation then deals with the second, strange topic. The solo cadenza makes extensive use of both themes. A short final ritual ends the optimistic sentence. In the course of the whole movement, as in the whole concert, the melodic significance of the wind instruments can be ascertained, which often leaves the piano only as an accompaniment.

2nd movement: Allegretto

The middle movement, which in this concerto is not an andante , although Mozart emphasized in a letter to his sister in June 1784 that “there must be no adagio in any concerto, but only an andante”. Although this movement is not an adagio, it is also not an andante that is required. The Allegretto is not taken particularly quickly in concert practice, as this would also be contrary to the predominant lyrical character. The movement is laid out in the form of a large two-part song form. The movement contains three themes, which, while Mozart does occasionally, only becomes the rule with Anton Bruckner . The third theme turns to minor. In its solo exposure, the solo piano takes on both themes together, as it were, as they merge into one another. The song-like movement ends with an extended coda , which also draws on motifs from the second theme.

3rd movement: Allegro assai

The final movement is the artistic highlight of the concert. Mozart succeeds here in combining joking, catchy buffo elements with the strict form of counterpoint . This takes place in an extended, large-scale movement between sonata form and rondo form . The piano introduces the hilarious, erratic refrain theme, which is answered by the woodwinds. This is followed, surprisingly and with great effect, by a fugato that begins with the entry of the strings. The soloist does not speak again until bar 120 with an entrée . The piano leads over to the first couplet , which is again strongly dominated by the winds. The trailer of the couplet consists of elements of the fugato. There now follows an implementation which replaces the second couplet. This is where the fugato theme begins again, but this time as a large double fugato, of impressive power. The subsequent repetition of the first couplet leads, after a major transition, to the solo cadenza . This is characterized by impressive power and virtuosity and processes refrain themes and fugato elements. A short coda ends the remarkable movement.

Status

Like its predecessor KV 456, the concert is called a military concert , which is due to the march-like theme of the main movement. Of the two works by Mozart called the Coronation Concerto, this earlier 19th piano concerto is by far the more important. It is one of the unusual representatives of Mozart's piano concertos. Even the tempo indications are faster than in the previous concerts. This work even lacks an Andante middle movement, which has been replaced by an Allegretto . The decisive innovation of this concert is the incorporation of contrapuntal elements into the context of the solo concert. There is a single and a double fugato in the final movement . This is unique for Mozart's piano concertos, but points to the final movement of the late 41st symphony, for example . The expansion of the third movement once again anticipates the own symphonic piano concertos that follow music history . The role of the solo piano in this concert is remarkably often reduced to an accompanying function. The wind instruments, which have been obligatory since the 15th Piano Concerto KV 450 , often take over the melodic lead. The theme of the final movement can be found in two works by great composers. So Joseph Haydn builds the finale of his 89th symphony on the main theme of the third movement, the present concert. Ludwig van Beethoven uses this idea for the peasant theme in the third movement of his Pastorale .

literature

  • Hansjürgen Schaefer : concert book orchestral music GO. VEB German publishing house for music, Leipzig 1978.
  • Harenberg concert guide. Harenberg Kommunikation, Dortmund 1998, ISBN 3-611-00535-5 .
  • Marius Flothuis: Mozart's Piano Concertos. CH Beck Wissen, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-406-41874-0 .

Web links