Mozart Piano Concerto in D Minor, K. 466

H.C. Robbins Landon, the great musicologist, once wrote about
Mozart that his music was “an excuse for mankind's existence
and a small hope for our ultimate survival." I couldn’t agree
more, especially when it comes to a piece like the one we’re
going to talk about today, Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor,
NO. 20, or K. 466. These days, Mozart is still one of the most
popular composers in the world, one of two composers almost
anyone on the street could name off the top of their head. But
it might surprise you to know that Mozart was not always so
popular. During the 19th century, Mozart’s music was seen as
too light, graceful, and even superficial by the stormy
Romantics who wanted to probe the deepest and darkest feelings
of humanity and the natural world, by extreme means if
necessary. Only a few of Mozart’s works were played regularly
during this time period, and this concerto was one of them.
It’s easy to say why - it is one of only two Mozart Piano
Concertos in a minor key, and its stormy and dramatic character
allowed the Romantics to create fantastical stories to go along
with the piece, and to connect it to the one Mozart opera that
remained popular throughout the 19th century, Don Giovanni.
Strangely enough, I see a similar thing happening today, among
young lovers of classical music. I often see Mozart’s music
being criticized on social media by younger musicians as being
too light and superficial, and sometimes I even see this
criticism from musicians who seem to gravitate to works that
have more extroverted dramatic intentions. But to me, Mozart is
just as, if not more dramatic that many of the Romantic era
composers. It's all just done in a very different way. This
concerto might be the perfect example of all of this! It has
all the drama you could ever want for you thrill seekers, and
it also has all of the masterful subtlety that for me makes
Mozart’s music so endlessly touching. This is a concerto of
remarkable breadth of emotion, character, and feeling, and
it’ll be a joy to take you through it this week. Join us! 




 




Performance is Mitsuko Uchida with Camerata Salzburg. Assorted
first movement cadenzas are performed by Michael Rische.