Word: concertos
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Later came Levinson's brilliant performance of the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 (K. 466). This is one of the few Mozart concerti in a minor key. Of it, Levinson says, "I chose it because, of all the Mozart concerti I have played, it is the most challenging for me...I can't understand it in any other way than as a piece for orchestra and piano." Nevertheless, from the moment he touched the piano keys after the orchestra's brooding introduction, the audience was captivated by the beauty and sensitivity of his style. The orchestra's tone initially seemed...
...Which is easier, to perform a concerto or to give a solo recital...
...They're completely different things. A concerto is something that you have to put together with a conductor and orchestra, and so the success depends on the nature of the compromises made--how willing the conductor is to let you do your thing. In a recital you perform for longer, have an expanded sense of the repertoire, and express a greater variety of musical ideas. The difference between playing for 25 and 75 minutes is immense. So, doing a concerto is an experience that is sometimes great, but can also be decidedly not. In a recital there are no compromises...
...played a recital a lot, five or six times consecutively, chances are I won't want to sit down with it. I might practice a future concerto. Practice is never unnecessary; there's always more to do with everything. But I don't play for myself so much anymore. I'm usually playing through pieces seeing what I want to program in the future...
Anyone accusing early Mozart of levity should listen to the second moment of this concerto from the composer's 21st year. Though here and elsewhere Mozart (wisely) rejected the melodrama of the salon, only here does he replace it with fine arioso writing. The music lost some of its poignant punch, frankly because of some tuning problems in the orchestra, but was still smile-inducingly lovely...