W.A. Mozart'S Piano Concerto NO.27 IN BB, K. 595: The Composer
W.A. Mozart'S Piano Concerto NO.27 IN BB, K. 595: The Composer
W.A. Mozart'S Piano Concerto NO.27 IN BB, K. 595: The Composer
THE COMPOSER:
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INSPIRATION:
KÖCHEL CATALOGUE
For unambiguous identification of works by Mozart, a Köchel catalogue number is used.
This is a unique number assigned, in regular chronological order, to every one of his known
works. A work is referenced by the abbreviation "K." followed by this number. The first edition of
the catalogue was completed in 1862 by Ludwig von Köchel. It has since been repeatedly
updated, as scholarly research improves knowledge of the dates and authenticity of individual
works. The K. number not only is a clue to whether a piece is early or late Mozart but also helps
in another way. Where two or more Mozart works are in the same key, the Köchel numbers help
to tell them apart. For instance, Mozart wrote two piano concertos in C major in his later years;
one is known as K. 467, the other as K. 503. (Some of the numbers were changed by the
musical scholar Alfred Einstein in a revised catalogue issued in 1937.)
HISTORY:
The manuscript is dated 5 January 1791. However, Alan Tyson's analysis of the paper on which
Mozart composed the work indicated that Mozart used this paper between December 1788 and
February 1789, which implies composition well before 1791. Simon Keefe has written that the
composition of the work dates from 1788. By contrast, Wolfgang Rehm [de] has stated that
Mozart composed this concerto in late 1790 and early 1791. Cliff Eisen has discussed the
controversy over the time of composition in his review of the published facsimile of the score.
PREMIERE:
The work followed by some years the series of highly successful concertos Mozart wrote for his
own concerts, and by the time of its premiere, Mozart was no longer so prominent a performer
on the public stage. The concerto may have been first performed at a concert on 4 March 1791
in Jahn's Hall by Mozart and the clarinetist Joseph Beer.[3] If so, this was Mozart's last
appearance in a public concert, as he took ill in September 1791 and died on 5 December 1791.
Another possibility is that it was premiered by Mozart's pupil Barbara Ployer on the occasion of
a public concert at the Palais Auersperg in January 1791.
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MUSIC:
The work is scored for flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, solo piano and strings, which
makes it thinner than Mozart's other late concertos, all of which except for No. 23
have trumpet and timpani.
It has the following three movements:
I. Allegro
II. Larghetto in E♭ major
III. Allegro
Although all three movements are in a major key, minor keys are suggested, as is evident from
the second theme of the first movement (in the dominant minor), as well as the presence of a
remote minor key in the early development of that movement and of the tonic minor in the
middle of the Larghetto.
Another interesting characteristic of the work is its rather strong thematic integration of the
movements, which would become ever more important in the nineteenth century. The principal
theme of the Larghetto, for instance, is revived as the second theme of the final movement (in
measure 65). The principal theme for the finale was also used in Mozart's song "Sehnsucht
nach dem Frühling" (also called "Komm, lieber Mai"), K. 596, which immediately follows this
concerto in the Köchel catalogue.
Mozart wrote down his cadenzas for the first and third movements.
Simon Keefe has discussed the concerto in detail, with emphasis on the distinctive character
and experiments in style of the concerto compared to Mozart's other concerti in this genre.
THE PIECE:
Instrumentation:
Flute
2 oboes
2 bassoons
2 horns
Solo piano
Strings
Movements:
1. Allegro
2. Larghetto in Eb Major
3. Allegro