Classical Works Spotlight #343--Mozart Piano Concerto #24

[erik]

The darkest and most turbulent of all of Mozart's piano concertos (one of only two in a minor key) is in this week's Classical Works Spotlight segment.

Mozart: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 24 IN C MINOR, K. 491

The year 1786 found the 30 year-old W.A. Mozart to be an extremely busy young man. He had just polished off the twenty-third of what would be 27 concertos for the piano; and he was also preparing for the premiere of what would become perhaps the most controversial opera of the late 18th century (at least in the eyes of the Viennese ruling class), “The Marriage Of Figaro.” But in his spare time, he also managed to carve out his Piano Concerto No. 24. Unlike its immediate predecessor, the A Major concerto, the 24th is made of much darker stuff. Not only is the orchestral compliment larger than in any of its predecessors (though it avoids using trombones, which would not appear in any piano concerto until Chopin), but it is also in a dark C Minor key, the only one (besides No. 20, in D Minor) to be this turbulent. Cast in the traditional three-movement form of the concerto, the 24th has a fairly ominous bent to it, not unlike the dark opening of the composer’s C Minor Mass (#17), but with a lighter Andante movement in the middle (the trumpets and timpani are omitted there). The finale is a searing series of variations in the home key of C Minor, which Mozart sticks to right to the final crescendo, as opposed to brightening things up in C Major. The effects of this work would be felt not too long after Mozart’s death, as Beethoven would claim to be heavily inspired by it (evidenced by his own C Minor Third Piano Concerto); and Schumann’s A Minor concerto and Brahms D Minor 1st concerto would also show traces of Mozart’s turbulent vision that was evident in this large-scale piano concerto, which nevertheless takes a little under thirty minutes to navigate.



Piano: ANDRE PREVIN

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/ANDRE PREVIN (Decca/Philips)

Included:
PIANO CONCERTO NO. 17 IN G MAJOR, K. 453

[egoodstein]

Yes, indeed this concerto was important for those later 'Romantic' composers (Schubert too, if less obvious connection to piano work), and it is very interesting and revolutionary for the time in the way he used C Minor here. Still, also a very lyrical heart to the work which is interesting balance. Mozart's piano concertos, esp. 'late' ones like this, are among his supreme achievements I think. Interesting Previn playing/conducting here. I've not heard him play Mozart and conduct it, though certainly in his lyrical range I'd think. And a fine pianist-- even dating back to his jazz days. I like many versions of this: Casadesus, Brendel, Uchida, Ashkanazy, recently Angela Hewitt's 'swift' lyrical' one, and probably others I forget now. Mozart's piano concertos are among the 1st classical music I loved, and still up there .

[erik]

Mozart's piano concertos (and, for the record, those of Beethoven's) really did set the standards for every major piano concerto that came after, from Schumann and Brahms through Saint-Saens, Ravel, Barber, Gershwin, and even Copland. In the case of #24, I think Mozart liked to experiment in darker forms than people frequently realize; the fact that it's in a minor key is but the most obvious example, plus the fact that he liked to innovate in a way that would have its effects long after he departed the scene at far too soon a time.

In terms of Previn, I think this was his only Mozart concerto recording, either as soloist or conductor (in this case both) with the Vienna Philharmonic, but it was an important one.  He really didn't do too much of Mozart, because his specialties lay primarily elsewhere, but when he did do Mozart, the results were quite good, as they are here (IMHO).