Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major

Completed in December 1786, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25 is the last of those written for the composer himself to play at his subscription concerts in Vienna. Initially performed less often than its immediate predecessors, it has come to be regarded among Mozart’s greatest concertos, not least on account of its symphonic dimensions. Its ambition is clear in the “Allegro maestoso”, whose march-like first theme dominates the orchestral introduction while touching on a more ambivalent expression that informs this movement’s progress. The second theme conveys a disarming playfulness, its development among the most symphonically conceived in any of these concertos. Mozart left no cadenza here or for the finale, enabling subsequent pianists and composers to provide their own. With its extensive role for woodwind (though this Concerto departs from the previous three by omitting clarinets), the “Andante” exudes a songful elegance in which the soloist readily participates. Much of this underlying poise is retained in the final “Allegretto”, not to be taken too fast, so that its ingratiating charm and capricious humour register fully. The second episode initially strikes a more assertive tone, but its continuation sees an eloquent return to the main theme, followed by an affirmative coda.