Mozart:
- Piano Sonata No. 11 and Variations
Most often, when it comes to Mozart’s works for piano, one needs to remember that Mozart himself was a great piano virtuoso, and an amazing improviser; and he could create music and variations on a theme right on the spot.
Mozart’s piano sonata in A – major K.331 is one of his best-known such works; it begins with a slow movement, and the last famous movement is called ‘Alla Turca’ or Turkish March.
The works on this CD are:
Mozart:
- Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K331 ‘Alla Turca’
- Sechs Variationen in F-Dur über die Arie ‘Salve tu, Domine’ aus der Oper I filosofi immaginarii (Giovanni Paisiello) K398 (416e)
- Variations (10) in G major on Gluck’s ‘Unser dummer Pöbel meint’, K455
- Zwölf Variationen in B-Dur über ein Allegretto, K500
- Variations (9) in D on a Menuet by Duport, K573
Performed by Vadim Sakharov (piano)
The Six Variations in F major on “Salve tu Domine” are the notations of an improvisation performance given by Mozart on the 23rd March, 1783, in front of Kaiser Joseph II of Austria-Hungary.
The Twelve Variations on an allegretto were finished on the 12th September, 1786.
Mozart’s variations for the piano stand between two amazing pillars of musical creations:
- The Goldberg Variations by Johann Sebastian and the
- Diabelli variations by Beethoven.
Here is Ivo Pogorelich playing Mozart sonata K 331 A-Major; a totally wonderful performance! Listen to these pianissimos!
And now here’s a 6 year old Japanese girl. Performing the Mozart Sonata K331 Allegretto
Don’t be too critical now— she is just six years old!
Tags: Mozart, Sonata K331, Vadim Sakharov