Your favourite Mozart piano Concerto

[salymap]

I dislike lists and have fought against doing this, BUT if you could only have one CD of a Mozart P.C which one would you choose? I plump for:

no 17 in G, K453.

[Alison]

K467

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

No 20 in D minor, K.466 (but I'd like to sneak in another 26, please) :)

[EdgeleyRob]

no 23 without a doubt

[Bryn]

Difficult, but the RAW wisdom of the Illuminati insists that I concur with ER, i.e. K488 (No. 23).

[Magic_Stag]

Is K488 the one A major? If that is the one with the audacious slow mvt theme that drops 2 octaves, that gets my vote. Sheer pathos! Also I am partial to the C minor No 24.
How to do the vote box ? (like in the Bax symphony thread?)

[Magic_Stag]

K467

in C? gorgeous slow winds in the movement - it's funny how evocative three Kochel numbers can be. Does anyone else have favourite opus numbers or composer catalogue number? I am thinking of Deutsch for Schubert, D887.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Is K488 the one A major? If that is the one with the audacious slow mvt theme that drops 2 octaves, that gets my vote. Sheer pathos!

I agree, and I really don't understand why people think they have to ruin this effect by filling it in with lots of extra notes.

[Alison]

in C? gorgeous slow winds in the movement - it's funny how evocative three Kochel numbers can be. Does anyone else have favourite opus numbers or composer catalogue number? I am thinking of Deutsch for Schubert, D887.

Yes thats the one. Ive always liked the Ashkenazy/Philharmonia account best.

[Roehre]

in C? gorgeous slow winds in the movement - it's funny how evocative three Kochel numbers can be. Does anyone else have favourite opus numbers or composer catalogue number? I am thinking of Deutsch for Schubert, D887.

Certainly. D.944 (Schubert's grand C-major symphony) 124 (Beethoven's Zur Weihe des Hauses/the consecration of the House) are only two examples.

Back to Mozart: Elvira madigan has definitely destroyed my enjoyment of KV467. My personal favourite Mozart PC is the B-flat 595, mainly for its rather subdued character.

[Chris Newman]

salymap,
What an unfair question!! I suppose I have a really soft spot for No 17 and No 23. How do I decide? I shan't!! I shall sit on the fence. Also I cannot decide between Richter, Goode, Curzon, Andsnes and Barenboim. Such delights are totally complementary.

[salymap]

Being asked ages ago for the Elvira madigan concerto by a non-musical relative and upon saying I'dnever heard of it [I hadn't], having my musicalknowledge scorned, put me off it slightly.

A friend practised the Romanza from K 466 for YEARS, 'nuff said.

I'm not really 'off' them but they carry baggage. No17, last movement is a blackbird song to WAM I believe.
Gorgeous.

[antongould]

I have always wondered where the Elvira Madigan came from - would I have ever thought of a Danish tightrope walker?????

[Dave2002]

You've all got me wondering now - most from 17 onwards are good, and a few of the earlier ones are also worth a listen - e.g the Jeunehomme. That probably leaves about 15 which don't get played very much at all, and are not well known. Maybe it's time to work through some of those.

Of the later ones 22 and 25 are less well known, and definitely worth a listen. If I'm in a cheerful mood I'd probably opt for K488 or possibly the very last one, but the minor key ones offer something else.

I think I'll opt for a quantum theory approach, and suggest a sort of probability density function - a fairly heavy smear over 17-27. with some probability "blobs" round 9,14.

[Norfolk Born]

K491 - I think - or should I perhaps listen non-stop to Radio 3 for the first 12 days of 2011 in case I might want to change my mind ...nah, I'll stick with K491. Wonderful set of variations in the last movement. I saw Andre Previn play/direct it years ago (with his back to the main hall) and have Brendel on CD.