20th Piano Concerto (Mozart)

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The 20th Piano Concerto in D minor, KV 466 is a piano concerto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . According to a different number, it is the 14th concert.

Emergence

The 20th piano concerto was written in Vienna in February 1785 . It is considered to be Mozart's first so-called symphonic concert.

One day after completion, the piano concerto was premiered on February 11, 1785 in the Viennese casino “Zur Mehlgrube” , with Mozart himself doing the solo part. Father Leopold Mozart , who was present at the premiere, commented on the concert in a letter to Mozart's sister.

To the music

occupation

Solo piano , flute , 2 oboes , 2 bassoons , 2 horns , 2 trumpets , timpani, strings

1st movement: Allegro

K466 1st-mov beginning.png

The exposition begins with ascending basses to the syncopation of the strings . At first, no characteristic melody can be recognized, as was customary in classical music, but the syncope and triplet upbeats of the strings create a restless mood. The woodwinds are added piece by piece with long, sustained notes. In measure 16, the orchestral tutti joins the melody. A secondary theme is then introduced in the woodwinds in F major. The solo exposure begins with a long entrance before the main theme appears in D minor. The solo piano, unusually, first appears with the slightly different side theme. Both topics are repeatedly given major additions, which in terms of size almost become topics of their own. The implementation begins with the first motif of the solo exposure and runs thematically. The first theme is often reduced to the triplet prelude of the low strings. A strong piano turn leads to the recapitulation , in which the themes are adorned with the accompanying piano. A longer episode leads to a solo cadenza .

There is no original Mozart cadenza for this piano concerto, so that of Beethoven is usually played. The following closing ritornello refers to the end of the melodrama Ariadne auf Naxos by Georg Anton Benda . The movement ends unusually in piano with soft throbbing D minor chords. The musical conflict resolution has not yet been achieved and has been postponed to the following movements.

2nd movement: romance

The second movement already forms a contrast to the restless first movement through the key of B major and the calm it radiates. The movement is written in a small rondo form, which is unusual for concert middle movements, but happens now and then with Mozart. The main theme is presented by the solo piano and is of a simple, song-like form. The first couplet is melodically led by the piano and accompanied by swaying string chords. It resembles the character of the chorus theme and ends with a little codetta . The second couplet, on the other hand, brings a dramatic climax and a great contrast to the rest of the movement. It is in G minor, the tonic parallel to B flat major. Virtuoso sixteenth arpeggios in the piano answer the orchestra's fort chords . However, via slower triplets, the music quickly returns to the song-like refrain theme. In this style, the romance ends after a short coda .

3rd movement: Allegro assai

The final movement once again represents a combination of rondo form and sonata form. The movement's dynamics clearly point to Ludwig van Beethoven . The solo piano introduces the advancing D minor theme, which the orchestra will soon adopt and formulate. The piano then brings a new thought which, in terms of content, still belongs to the refrain theme and is referred to as the complementary main theme . In the first couplet the woodwinds introduce a fast, song-like major thought, while in the recurring chorus accompanying horn chords increase the drama. Contrary to the rule, there is no second couplet, but an implementation that processes the chorus and first couplet extensively. Every now and then major elements take over the minor theme and give light moments to the action. A short and virtuoso solo cadenza follows . In the coda , the wind theme from the first couplet asserts itself and leads the moving movement to a radiant ending in D major.

Status

The 20th piano concerto represents a breakthrough in many respects. It is the first example of a symphonic piano concerto . At the latest in the 19th piano concerto , this was indicated by large, independent orchestral passages and the occasional accompaniment of the solo piano. The 20th concerto has a similar significance as the 15th piano concerto KV 450 for the development of the orchestral exposure and the role of the wind instruments.

The work is the first of only two piano concertos by Mozart in minor: In the following year he wrote the 24th Piano Concerto KV 491 in C minor. It shares the key of D minor with works such as the Requiem KV 626 and the overture and the appearance of the Commander in Don Giovanni . For Mozart, this key stands for the greatest drama and expressiveness. The concerto was extremely popular with Ludwig van Beethoven, who played the work frequently and wrote two cadences for the first and last movement. Also Johannes Brahms wrote later for the first movement of the concerto a cadence.

The main movement ends in a piano, which is rare with Mozart and at first glance does not match the dramatic character of the work. Rather, there is a large-scale link between the sentences in terms of content. The resolution of the musical conflicts that have sparked off has been postponed to the other movements of the concert. This approach of an overall artistic conception will prevail to perfection in the following musical epochs.

With this concert at the latest, Mozart overcame music's commitment to entertainment ideals and found the freedom of the individual artist. The concert KV 466 is one of the pioneers of the coming musical epochs.

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

Web links