25th Piano Concerto (Mozart)

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The 25th Piano Concerto in C major, KV 503 , is a piano concerto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . According to a different count, in which only the pure and completely Mozart concerts are taken into account, it is the composer's 19th piano concerto.

Emergence

The 25th piano concerto was completed in December 1786 in Vienna. It is considered the last of Mozart's great piano concertos written in Vienna. Mozart composed all of these for his own concert performances. The composition of the work falls already in the time after the completion of the Marriage of Figaro , a period in which Mozart reached the highest level of productivity and completed several great compositions within a few weeks. Shortly after the completion of the piano concerto, Mozart set off on a trip to Prague , where he presumably also played this concerto.

To the music

1st movement: Allegro maestoso

The opening Allegro is the longest concert movement in Mozart's oeuvre. The extensive exposition begins with a few solemn chords from the entire orchestra. The main theme then develops through a twist to the minor key. A transition, in which trumpets and kettledrum solemnly express themselves, leads to the second theme, which initially appears in minor, but then turns to major - the major variant has a very distant relationship with the head motif of the later Marseillaise . The solo exposition begins relatively inconspicuously, with an unthematic entrance by the pianist. In addition, the point in time at which it begins is quite unusual compared to other Mozartian piano concertos. The orchestra concludes on a powerful forte chord and the piano is expected. However, the string instruments surprise with a kind of short transition to piano. The piano is then attuned to the main theme of the movement, which is then expanded. Modulations across E flat major, G minor and G major lead to the vocal and peaceful third theme of the movement, which is introduced by the solo piano. The extensive exposition only ends after 228 bars. This is followed by a relatively short implementation , which preferred the Marseillaise theme. A sophisticated polyphonic condensation of the thought occurs here . An eight-bar organ point leads to the recapitulation , which for the most part is regular. However, the modulation on the third theme takes more rambling paths via remote keys such as E flat minor and C flat major. The large-scale solo cadenza processes motifs from all themes and also turns them frequently to minor. A short closing ritual ends the movement with majestic chords.

2nd movement: Andante

Formally, the Andante is a shortened version of the sonata form. The orchestral exposition presents two solemn, strangely unclearly formulated themes. The solo piano then picks up both themes and articulates them with an enthusiastic gesture. Instead of an implementation is only a brief interlude, which is on a pedal point unfolded in almost cheerful duct. Then there is an apparent harmonic standstill, which is immediately revived by the instrumentation and dynamics. The recapitulation that follows is only a shortened form of the exposition. The final coda is taken from the exposition and ends the simply constructed movement with an upward movement of the piano.

3rd movement: Allegretto

The final rondo begins with a cautiously cheerful refrain theme, which, atypically, is initially only presented by the orchestra. What is remarkable is the rapid onset of the deep cloudiness of the subject. The solo piano then speaks with its own entrance , which leads to the first couplet with an organ point . This represents a cheerful vocal theme, which is mainly intoned by the woodwinds, with the piano having an accompanying function. Another point on the organ leads to the repetition of the refrain. The minor clouding of the theme leads to the second couplet, which, as is often the case with Mozart, is in two parts. The first part in A minor consists of dramatic minor chords that quickly fade away and lead to the second part in F major. Here a lyrical and poignant singing develops between solo piano and strings. Here the cello stands out particularly in the accompaniment. The sublime singing oscillates strangely between major and minor. Once again the impression of a smile with tears emerges , which is characteristic of some deep passages in Mozart's music. A long organ point for transition ends with the second repetition of the chorus theme, now without a minor variant. Instead, the first couplet is repeated immediately. Only in the following final appearance of the refrain does the minor variant reappear, now played around by the piano. A longer coda ends the concert with rambling gestures and a few triumphant final chords.

Status

The 25th piano concerto, like all works of this genre since the 20th piano concerto , belongs to the symphonic concerts. In contrast to the previous concerts, KV 482 , KV 488 and KV 491 , Mozart again refrains from using clarinets. Nevertheless, due to the use of trumpets and timpani, the concert has a large cast, as can be found, for example, in the concerts KV 451 or KV 466 . The 25th Piano Concerto is the last of the great Vienna concerts that began with the 15th Piano Concerto KV 450 at the latest . The concert is one of the larger-scale works within this group and, at around 35 minutes, has a performance duration that is just as long as the 22nd Piano Concerto KV 482 . The first movement is actually the longest concert movement that Mozart wrote. The work has some compositional peculiarities and innovations that clearly point to the future and to Beethoven . In addition to the dimension of the work, this concerns, for example, the detailed motivic work. The opening motif of the second theme permeates the entire sentence, often without being directly present. Furthermore, the concerto shows the use of long organ points with unusual frequency . This goes beyond the usual Mozart use of the organ point to return a main theme. The frequent change of tonalities is also characteristic . The main themes usually appear in both major and minor . This can certainly be seen as a further artistic development of Mozart, pointing to the future. The artistically and humanly mature Mozart is able to address drama and melancholy in art and to make a deep emotional statement, as the concerts KV 466 and KV 491 show not least .

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: a musical guide. CH Beck Wissen, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-406-41874-0 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. The author of the Marseillaise, Rouget de Lisle, cannot have known KV 503, however, as it was only performed by Mozart himself in Vienna until 1792 and was only published later. During Mozart's lifetime, i.e. until the end of 1791, only the following piano concertos appeared in print: KV 175 + KV 382, ​​KV 413-415, KV 453 and KV 595. See: HC Robbins Landon (ed.): Das Mozart-Kompendium , Droemer Knaur , Munich 1991, pp. 495-496.