Piano Concerto No. 10 (Mozart)

Music#

The concerto was originally scored for two fortepianos together with two oboes, two bassoons, two horns in E, and strings. Mozart expanded the score in 1782 with pairs of clarinets, trumpets and timpani. However, the authenticity of the additions is not beyond question; they do not appear in the score. The work is in three movements: The concerto departs from the usual solo piano concerto with the dialogue between the two pianos as they exchange musical ideas. Mozart divides up the more striking passages quite evenly between the two pianos. Also, the orchestra is rather more quiet than in Mozart’s other piano concertos, leaving much of the music to the soloists. The first movement is lyrical and “wonderfully spacious, as if Mozart is thoroughly enjoying himself and letting his ideas flow freely”, as Ledbetter has noted. The middle movement is slow and refined; the orchestra stays in the background behind the pair of playful pianists. The finale is a rondo filled with rhythmic drive and, after passages of lyrical grace, there is an exuberant return to the main rondo theme.