Mozart entered this concerto in his catalog of all his compositions on December 16, 1785, and he played the solo part at the first performance on December 23 in Vienna.
The orchestra consists of flute, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings. Mozart left no cadenzas for this concerto.
I listened to this wonderful music today, and I particularly enjoyed the interplay between the soloist and the orchestra. Frequently the pianist converses with the flute solo, then Bassoon solo and clarinet solo. At one point the concertmaster has a duet with the pianist. The whole work created an amazing intimacy.
I heard this today in a concert with the Berlin Philharmonic with Leif Ove Andsnes as soloist. Here’s another version with the Cleveland orchestra.
