Mozart: Piano Concertos, Vol. 9

The three concertos featured on this album were

composed together in 1782 / 83 - shortly after

Mozart had left his patron and position in Salzburg

to establish himself as a freelance composer and

performer in Vienna. The concertos were all

performed by the composer in a series of

subscription concerts that he gave in the city. All

share the same form - opening movement in

sonata form, slow movement in ternary form, and

a bright rondo finale. Despite these similarities,

though, each piece has it's own distinct character

and identity; such was the extent of Mozart's

genius for invention. Although formally scored for

strings with wind, horns, trumpets, and timpani,

Mozart also offered them to his publisher to be

performed 'a quatro' - for strings only. These

would be the last concertos he wrote in which this

would be possible, and it is certainly likely that it

reflected a need to earn greater income as

opposed to being a purely artistic decision. As in

the rest of this series, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet is

joined by the Manchester Camerata and Gábor

Takács-Nagy, who open the album with a dazzling

performance of the Overture to Die Entführung

aus dem Serail, which dates from the same period.