Description
The great pianist Paul Badura-Skoda praises the first movement of Mozart's B-flat major sonata K. 333 as "among the most beautiful ... in the piano literature." And who would dare to disagree with his assessment? The first movement dazzles with a pyrotechnic display of vibrant, freely flowing melodies artfully paired with virtuosic piano runs and flourishes. The sublime "Andante cantabile" slow movement evokes the sonority of a string quartet, while the concluding "Allegretto grazioso" captures the jaunty yet subtle dance-like quality of an opera buffa finale. Contrary to previous Mozart scholarship, this miraculous sonata was actually composed in 1783, not the much earlier date previously thought. Interestingly, it was published a year later, paired with the relatively early piano sonata K. 284 and the grandiose violin sonata K. 454.
