Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791) Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K.488 (1786)

View of Vienna from Belvedere (made between 1758 and 1761), painting by Bernardo Bellotto Source: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien

The Piano Concerto in A major, sometimes called “the Great” to distinguish it from its “Little” sibling (No. 12 in A major, K.414), was written for a subscription concert and probably featured Mozart at the keyboard for the first performances, as it was only published some years after his death. Despite the usual hallmarks of the Mozart concerto style, this work has floated to the top of the list of his piano concerti to be most often performed, along with the two minor-key ones (Nos. 20 and 24) and the late, great D major (No. 27).

With its simple, innocent opening, and generally sunny disposition, this concerto (like many other Mozart piano works) is often used as a “teaching” concerto for younger pianists. However, the quality of the music itself sets it apart from the vast majority of didactic material, and the character in the first movement is tinged with the energies of youth. After the orchestral opening, the piano’s entry is already varied with an Alberti bass, and this pattern continues throughout the movement: the orchestral statement of the second theme, coming after the piano, is in a richer, fuller harmony, and the piano then spends the development section shyly “commenting” on the ideas taken up by the orchestra.

Mozart also explores some distant harmonic terrain: C# minor features rather prominently in the exposition, though the development section spends a lot of time in A minor and in the flatter keys. After a short cadenza, the bright character of A major returns, and everything is now in its expected place in the joyous home key.

All this harmonic sleight-of-hand is all to prepare the listener for the real emotional weight of the second movement: F# minor was a rare key for Mozart, and suddenly we are in operatic terrain. The piano begins the movement alone with a melody that is one of Mozart’s most melancholy, and the chromaticism and searching harmonies more than just hint at pain. Contrasted with the soaring wind melody and heavy strings that come immediately after, this technique looks forward to his later operas, and indeed the A major section in the middle is a literal “trio section” that is alluded to in Don Giovanni. The end, with the mysterious pizzicato strings, is one of the most powerful moments of music in all of Mozart.

The piano solo also begins the rondo finale, but bursts right through the starting gate with pure exuberance: the tempo of the orchestra tutti is set by the pianist here, and Mozart writes fast, chattering wind parts — listen out for the bassoons putting in work! The clouds of sadness are blown away by this opening, and the brilliance of the piano writing are almost Mendelssohnian.

Programme notes by Thomas Ang