Description
Though Mozart’s second-to-last piano concerto was finished on 24 February 1788, it did not have its premiere until 1789 in Dresden. Another performance in autumn 1790, during the festivities celebrating Leopold II’s coronation as Emperor, resulted in the concerto's widely recognized nickname.
When compared to the collection of substantial piano concertos created between 1784 and 1786, K. 537 appears more traditional at first due to its many swift scale sequences and decorative elements; however, it is this very adaptable framework that foreshadows early romantic period forms. Regardless, it ranks today as one of Mozart’s most commonly performed concertos.
Mozart expert Andreas Staier has enhanced this Urtext edition with various practical performance recommendations (presented as an ossia or in smaller type): he offers not only graceful passages, cadenzas, embellishments, and fingerings, but also fills in the portions of the solo part that are only partially preserved in the original manuscript. Henle provides a refreshing alternative to the earlier known version of the solo part, which includes modifications introduced by publisher Johann André in the posthumous first edition from 1794.
