Mozart died in 1791, and he left us with a wealth of music: Symphonies, Operas, chamber music, sonatas for many different instruments, and religious works.
I have my own set of favorites among them. And Mozart composed 27 piano concertos that survive to this say.
The Concerto #18 was composed on commission from Maria Theresia Paradis. Evidence of the commission comes from a letter from Leopold Mozart to Nannerl, describing “a glorious concerto written for Paradis for Paris.”
The string section in the opening “Allegro” sounds a delightful little march, which is immediately taken up by the woodwinds. Subsequently, the whole orchestra plays a forceful transition that harmonically drifts towards the lyrical contrast.
In a touch of genius, Mozart infuses this theme with various minor inflections, before stylized hunting calls conclude the orchestral exposition.
A light-hearted musical dialogue between the solo piano and the woodwinds characterizes the development, before the themes stated at the beginning of the movement are repeated.
Listen now to pianist Mitsuko Uchida who performs this music for you:
