I had a delightful time today when I listened to a recording of Mozart’s Piano Concerto #13. I did some research about the circumstances in Mozart’s life at the time, and I learned the following:
In 1781, Mozart made the decision to leave the security of his court appointment in Salzburg for a freelance career in Vienna. There he virtually had to carve out for himself a new life of teaching, arranging, composing and performing as piano soloist, all in a manner calculated to please the fickle local folks. For this purpose he wrote, in the late fall and early winter of 1782-83, three piano concertos, a genre that would eventually total seventeen amazing works.
The Concerto K. 415 is the third of this series. It received its first performance at a concert on March 23, 1783 with the composer as soloist, of course. The concerto is scored for pairs of oboes, bassoons, horns, trumpets and timpani, in addition to the usual strings. The presence of the trumpets and timpani, as well as the key of C major, are particularly apt to call forth military associations in Mozart’s music. Nevertheless, in spite of the relatively large wind complement, these instruments could alternatively be eliminated. This design was intended for use in a private home, where just a pianist and a string quartet might be available.
I heard the performance with orchestra, and the soloist was Mitsuko Uchida.
Here she is, and I know you’ll love it, too:
