Program Notes

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Concerto No. 14 in E-flat major for piano and orchestra, K. 449 (1784)

Scored for solo piano, two oboes, two horns and strings

The years 1784 – 1786 were particularly eventful and prolific years in the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He was at the height of his popularity in Vienna and was greatly in demand as a soloist and composer. In fact, during this period he wrote 12 of his 27 piano concerti. These were mainly written for himself, but there were a couple of exceptions.

In February of 1784, the composer's gifted pupil Barbara Ployer, perhaps fearing that being a pupil of Mozart wasn't enough, commissioned her teacher to write a concerto through which she could make a name for herself with the public. As Mozart was fond of her, and as her father was the agent of the Archbishop of Salzburg, he readily agreed. The concerto was finished and given its premier in March of that year. It is unclear whether Miss Ployer or Mozart himself gave the first performance. The concerto in G major, K. 453, was also written with Barbara Ployer in mind.

This concerto was the very first composition that Mozart entered into the personal catalogue of his works that he kept from 1784 to the end of his life. The orchestra is sparsely scored for two oboes, two horns and strings, and Mozart even allowed for the option of omitting the winds altogether and performing the work as sextet for piano and strings. It is also the shortest of Mozart's mature concerti. One might be tempted to think that he was holding out on his pupil, but the concerto is a delightful work, and the composer wrote cadenzas for the first and third movements.

The first movement is very much in keeping with the spirit of Haydn, with sudden and unexpected outbursts which quickly die away. The writing for the instrument is impeccable. The soloist is blessed with ample melodic invention, enchanting turns of phrase and stirring dramatic touches. The interplay between piano and orchestra is irresistible.

The slow movements of Mozart's concerti generally begin with the piano, but here we are treated to a delicately flowing orchestral introduction. The piano enters with a charming answer and cherishes its gentle, lovingly ornamented song throughout.

The finale is vibrant and energetic with a remarkable contrapuntal texture that, at times, melds piano and orchestra into one. It is only in the short cadenza and the brilliant passages that follow it that the piano really takes off and steals the show, and the work ends with a reverberant but cordial cadence.