Horn Concerto No. 4 in E‑Flat Major

The third of his works in this medium (given that his Horn Concerto No. 1 is now known to date from his final year), Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4 was completed in 1786, again with the skilful artistry of Joseph Leutgeb in mind. Unlike in the preceding work, oboes are preferred to clarinets (and bassoons are optional), with Mozart including two orchestral horns to enhance a varied dialogue with the soloist. This is evident across the opening “Allegro moderato”, whose development is eventful enough to become almost an episode in itself. The “Andante cantabile” exhibits a nocturnal poise and calm understatement, while the final “Allegro vivace” is a lively “hunting” rondo. Its main theme found new popularity when the London comedy duo of Michael Flanders and Donald Swann added lyrics to create the song “Ill Wind”, heard as part of their 1967 musical revue At the Drop of Another Hat.