BaL 08.06.24 - Mozart: Piano concerto 23 in A major, K488

[Petrushka]

The slow movement was the theme music for the movie The Death of Stalin.

Wasn't it (allegedly) the music that was on his record player when he died, played by Yudina? Not seen the film but Shostakovich mentions it in 'Testimony'.

Brendel/Marriner or Pollini/Bohm are my favourites but plenty more on my shelves or lurking in boxes.

[akiralx]

I have recordings of K488 by Brendel/Marriner, Uchida/Tate and Zacharias/Zinman.

Have you tried Zacharias' later set on MDG directing the Lausanne CO from the keyboard? It is my favourite cycle - I have the separate SACDs but the boxset is available with normal CDs.

[richardfinegold]

Wasn't it (allegedly) the music that was on his record player when he died, played by Yudina? Not seen the film but Shostakovich mentions it in 'Testimony'.

Brendel/Marriner or Pollini/Bohm are my favourites but plenty more on my shelves or lurking in boxes.

I think that you would really enjoy the movie, Pet. It was the music on his record player in the movie and the plot that revolves around the performance is quite entertaining

[smittims]

Before Brahms (or was Scheherazade first?) the few important E minor works include Bach's Prelude and Fugue BWV 548 (the 'Wedge') , Beethoven's quartet op. 59 no.2 and Mendelssohn's violin concerto, though only the first movement is in E minor .

But to return to Mozart, he does use A major like an artist using red, for special 'bright' works such as K464 and 319. (I think A major is 'red' . E minor is pale green; I'd better stop,or you'll think I'm barmy). ).

[mikealdren]

Given that F sharp minor is (simply) the relative minor of A major, this must suggest that Mozart never wrote another similarly related movement in a piece he wrote in A major. I wonder if he didn't like A major. I must look at the keys of his symphonies.

Actually he wrote quite a lot in A major including symphony Nos 14 (K.114) 21 (K..134) and 29 (K.201), piano concerto K.414, the 5th violin concerto (K.219) violin sonatas K.305 and K.506 as well as the clarinet concerto and clarinet quintet.

[Pulcinella]

Actually he wrote quite a lot in A major including symphony Nos 14 (K.114) 21 (K..134) and 29 (K.201), piano concerto K.414, the 5th violin concerto (K.219) violin sonatas K.305 and K.506 as well as the clarinet concerto and clarinet quintet.

Yes: I looked (a bit in general but specifically at the clarinet works) yesterday, but I didn't see other movements in the relative minor: lots in D major though.

[cloughie]

A work I never tire of - no need to add to the stack on my shelves - three favourites maybe are Pollini/Bohm, Curzon/Kertesz, Kempff/Leitner.

[richardfinegold]

But to return to Mozart, he does use A major like an artist using red, for special 'bright' works such as K464 and 319. (I think A major is 'red' . E minor is pale green; I'd better stop,or you'll think I'm barmy). ).

Do you listen much to Scriabin, smitten?

[richardfinegold]

I have many recordings and I’m not looking for another, but this is a very enjoyable thread, particularly the discussions of key signatures

[Ein Heldenleben]

Actually he wrote quite a lot in A major including symphony Nos 14 (K.114) 21 (K..134) and 29 (K.201), piano concerto K.414, the 5th violin concerto (K.219) violin sonatas K.305 and K.506 as well as the clarinet concerto and clarinet quintet.

Yes he loved A major . It must have had some psychological significance for him - the key of some of his sunniest works. There’s also the famous A major piano sonata - the variation first movement and an A minor finale - the rondo alla turca ; and the the wonderful A major duet La Ci Darem in Don Giovanni.

Anthony Hopkins in Talking about Music posited the theory that G minor was often Mozart’s key of anguish and pain (40th symphony ) because he associated it with violin practice and the apparently tricky scale of G minor. No doubt Leopold was a stern teacher.

[smittims]

Ah yes, dear old Scriabin and his clavier a lumieres. It's all in the mind, of course.

[CallMePaul]

Given that F sharp minor is (simply) the relative minor of A major, this must suggest that Mozart never wrote another similarly related movement in a piece he wrote in A major. I wonder if he didn't like A major. I must look at the keys of his symphonies.

For some reason, none of his piano works (concerti or sonatas) is in a key with more than 3 accidentals, and I think the same is true of his other works (can't be sure about individual opera numbers). Mozart was an outstanding pianist so I'm sure he could have played in, say, G sharp minor or D flat major had he wished. I suspect that orchestral players may not have been as good sight-readers as today's are and that the same would have been true of the amateur pianists at whom many of the sonatas were marketed.

[Ein Heldenleben]

For some reason, none of his piano works (concerti or sonatas) is in a key with more than 3 accidentals, and I think the same is true of his other works (can't be sure about individual opera numbers). Mozart was an outstanding pianist so I'm sure he could have played in, say, G sharp minor or D flat major had he wished. I suspect that orchestral players may not have been as good sight-readers as today's are and that the same would have been true of the amateur pianists at whom many of the sonatas were marketed.

It would have been quite difficult for contemporary orchestras to play in D flat and G flat . And I wonder whether the ins and outs of forfepiano tuning made Dflat and also Gflat a risk ? You have to go to the slow movement of the Moonlight for the first D flat piece I can think of - outside Bach and the WTK.
In some ways , in terms of fingering and finger position keys like Bflat ,D major and even C major are more difficult than the say E major or B major. Chopin used to teach the E major scale before C major for that very reason.

[pastoralguy]

I had a cruel shock with this work and my favourite recording recently. I started collecting the Serkin discs with Abbado and the London Symphony Orchestra and really enjoyed them. Iirc, the had a poor critical response when they were first released and I think the plug was pulled on what was to be more issues. I particularly enjoyed the slow movement of K.488, one of my favourite pieces.

For years, my go to recording was Zoltan Kocsis with Janos Rolla conducting The Frank Liszt Chamber Orchestra on Hungaroton. It was one of the first CDs I ever bought and I must have played it hundreds of times. Having listened to Serkin first I thought I’d do a side by side comparison and was amazed to discover that the Kocsis no longer held me enthralled as it used to. IMHO, the Serkin was much more convincing in being just a little slower but keeping the bleakness that this music always suggests to me. Neither pianist makes the mistake, imho, of trying to decorate the end of this slow movement.

Too many pianists see Mozarts ‘bare bones’ as being an opportunity for embellishment which, again imho, goes completely against the character of the music. Another point that I hope the reviewer picks up at this point in the music is the ‘rocking accompaniment’ of first violins and ‘cellos and basses. Some recordings have all the strings playing pizzicato, some all arco whereas others have the violins playing across but the lower strings playing pizz. There seems to be some ambiguity in the score as to what Mozart actually wanted.

For me, this piece is one of the greatest miracles in all music.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I had a cruel shock with this work and my favourite recording recently. I started collecting the Serkin discs with Abbado and the London Symphony Orchestra and really enjoyed them. Iirc, the had a poor critical response when they were first released and I think the plug was pulled on what was to be more issues. I particularly enjoyed the slow movement of K.488, one of my favourite pieces.

For years, my go to recording was Zoltan Kocsis with Janos Rolla conducting The Frank Liszt Chamber Orchestra on Hungaroton. It was one of the first CDs I ever bought and I must have played it hundreds of times. Having listened to Serkin first I thought I’d do a side by side comparison and was amazed to discover that the Kocsis no longer held me enthralled as it used to. IMHO, the Serkin was much more convincing in being just a little slower but keeping the bleakness that this music always suggests to me. Neither pianist makes the mistake, imho, of trying to decorate the end of this slow movement.

Too many pianists see Mozarts ‘bare bones’ as being an opportunity for embellishment which, again imho, goes completely against the character of the music. Another point that I hope the reviewer picks up at this point in the music is the ‘rocking accompaniment’ of first violins and ‘cellos and basses. Some recordings have all the strings playing pizzicato, some all arco whereas others have the violins playing across but the lower strings playing pizz. There seems to be some ambiguity in the score as to what Mozart actually wanted.

For me, this piece is one of the greatest miracles in all music.

Absolutely agree .. but …

Those spare notes cry out for decoration - the problem is it needs to be Mozart’s ..