Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 24 | Víkingur Ólafsson, Paavo Järvi & Concertgebouw Orchestra

Video Description

A work that looked to the future. In his Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart broke away from classical conventions. Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson delivers the solo part with brilliant precision. Paavo Järvi conducts the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in this 2021 recording from the orchestra’s famous Concertgebouw venue in Amsterdam. (00:00) I. Allegro (14:12) II. Larghetto (22:31) III. Allegretto As minor keys are rare in the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), this is worthy of exploration. Of his 27 piano concertos, only two are in minor keys, and his overall output favors major tonalities too. There has been a long debate as to how we should interpret the C minor Concerto K. 491 (1786): as dark and brooding, in keeping with the key’s reputation, or rather bright and spirited (as in the piano part in the first movement)— which also reflects the positivity in Mozart’s own life at the time of composition. In 1786, Mozart completed several piano works, his “Prague Symphony,” and the comic opera The Marriage of Figaro. He was known for his sociability and partying—enjoying balls to the full and then composing late into the night. This concerto seems to capture both moods: the fun-loving parties and darker tones reflecting nocturnal exhaustion. Often described as symphonic, the C minor Concerto features a large orchestral setting for a solo work, with a rich palette of winds—flutes, oboes, bassoons, and clarinets. For Víkingur Ólafsson, this is part of its fascination: “You don’t feel like a guest performer or an outsider but as part of the orchestra, on equal footing. One moment you’re playing in a quintet with the winds or strings, and the next you’re suddenly the heroic soloist again” (Concerti magazine). Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 is among Ólafsson’s favorite works. In the second movement, Mozart is firmly rooted in Classicism; in the third, with its fugato, he looks back toward Johann Sebastian Bach; and in the first, he looks ahead musically to the 19th century. In the opening Allegro, Mozart introduces not just two orchestral themes, as was customary, but adds a third with the piano—and later even a fourth and fifth. Chromatic passages heighten the work’s drama, giving it a sense of darkness and fate that foreshadows Romanticism. Born in Reykjavík in 1984, Víkingur Ólafsson has earned international acclaim for his interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bach and Philip Glass. He performs in the world’s leading concert halls and serves as an ambassador for the music of his homeland, often premiering works by Icelandic composers. The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, founded in 1888 and based in Amsterdam, is celebrated for the unique acoustics of its home auditorium and its distinctive sound. It regularly collaborates with leading conductors and soloists, including Paavo Järvi, artistic director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and music director of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. Järvi is known for his precision, attention to detail, and deep engagement with the composers he interprets. © 2021 C Major Entertainment Watch more concerts in your personal concert hall: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBV5A14dyRWy1KSkwcG8LEey in our playlist with piano concertos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBU7k2TJgrgNCc9aygnNkaGZ in our Mozart playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBVMUV5tqlgIMa-NdrBs5qum and in our playlist with pieces of the classical period: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBX17Jic5IUJQle18jrnZAof Subscribe to DW Classical Music: https://www.youtube.com/dwclassicalmusic #Mozart #pianoconcerto #classicalera