12 Variations "Je suis Lindor" K.354 - what's up with the score?

[lelle]

The score on this site (that you have to be a gold member to access), and other free scores around the net, seem to have the variations in the wrong order. In these editions, the variations close with the Menuetto variation inserted as Var. 12 after the Molto Adagio, which in these versions is Var. 11.

However, in my G.Henle urtext edition, the Menuetto variation is number 8 and comes before the Eb minor variation, and the Molto Adagio is the final 12th variation. In my edition the work is closed off by a simple reprisal of the initial theme, which is not even present in the online free versions and the pianostreet score.

I have always believed that my edition is correct, especially since my favourite recording with Ronald Brautigam is performed this way.

But which way is correct? Why does some editions have a different order of the variations?

[quantum]

The Neue Mozart-Ausgabe is the current scholarly edition of Mozart's works - published by Bärenreiter.  It can be found for free here:

https://dme.mozarteum.at


Personally, I have found a few questionable "editorial decisions" in Henle's Mozart publications.  IMO they have withheld score details found in the manuscripts that they attribute to inconsistency in notation. 

[lelle]

I looked up the variation set on the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe site you linked and it was note-by-note identical with my G. Henle Verlag Urtext edition, as far as I could tell. This means that all scores I've found online, including the one requiring a Gold membership on this site, are wrong.

Thanks for helping me find clarification! That site was very useful

[iumonito]

I think you are being a little quick to form your opinion.  Did you read the notes at the Barenreiter site?  There are various sources.  The location of the Menuetto variation and whether there is a da capo of the theme vary markedly among sources.

Consider that finishing the variations with a menuetto variation and no da capo of the theme are typical Viennese conventions.  If you are curious enough, you will find other examples (most notably a big Beethoven set comes to mind). 

I happen to be brushing the work off for a performance in January, so I will be making a decision soon myself.  I am not sure what is the more satisfying musically.  When I first learned the set as a teenager, I did the order as it appears in the pianostreet site.

[lelle]

I think you are being a little quick to form your opinion.  Did you read the notes at the Barenreiter site?  There are various sources.  The location of the Menuetto variation and whether there is a da capo of the theme vary markedly among sources.

Consider that finishing the variations with a menuetto variation and no da capo of the theme are typical Viennese conventions.  If you are curious enough, you will find other examples (most notably a big Beethoven set comes to mind).  Smiley

I happen to be brushing the work off for a performance in January, so I will be making a decision soon myself.  I am not sure what is the more satisfying musically.  When I first learned the set as a teenager, I did the order as it appears in the pianostreet site.

It's possible that I am forming my opinion a little too quickly, yes. I'm mostly basing it off of how I heard the piece performed the first time, by ronald brautigam. Since he is a big performer of Mozart, plus that my urtext edition follows his playing, I figured it probably was the correct way and that the online scores just were from some "misinformed" edition lol 

The performance is on youtube btw: