Mozart’s Piano Concerto Number 27 was not only Mozart’s last piano concerto but also the last piece he performed in public on March 4, 1791.
At this time, his popularity was low and he performed in an Academy concert featuring a singer and clarinetist Joseph Bahr. Mozart was placed third on the program. By any metric, 1791 was a terrible year for Mozart: His fame was decreasing, he had enormous money problems, his wife was ill, and he was thoroughly depressed.
In a letter to his wife at that time, he wrote, “If people could see into my heart, I would almost have to be ashamed…everything is cold for me—ice cold.” In December of that year, Mozart died.
Some have said that this piano concerto was Mozart’s farewell, but such a claim relies heavily on hindsight. It is very possible that Mozart was entering a new phase of compositional style, which would be cut short. Some of those new elements exist in this piece.
Whatever the case may be, there is no doubt that Mozart did die in 1791. Here is this music, and I trust you will see it as the gem that it really is:
