Piano Concerto No. 19 in F Major

Mozart keeps you waiting through a long orchestral prelude for the soloist to enter in this piece—but when they do, it’s with a theme of such disarming charm and lightness that frustration disappears. And if the music feels like Haydn it’s unsurprising, because the concerto was written toward the end of 1784, when Mozart not only confirmed a strong, personal friendship with that composer but absorbed a good few lessons from his output—which were then put to use in a rapidly produced run of keyboard concertos. No. 19 was the sixth in less than 12 months and, like the others, intended for Mozart’s own use as the soloist in subscription concerts—all part of a conscious effort to keep his name before the apparently fickle Viennese public. This concerto was designed to please, with three movements that all bear the designation “Allegro” or “Allegretto”. But the second movement is conventionally slower, with leanings toward melancholy. And the third gives listeners something to remember, with masterly and upbeat fugal writing that brings Bach into the list of compositional influences, building into one of the most impressive finales in all the Mozart concertos.