Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 Cadenza

[magic_hands]

I'll be writing a cadenza for this gorgeous piece in a few months. And seeing as so many amazing composers took on this task, I'm wondering which one you guys enjoy the most? Most of the cadenzas aren't up on Youtube unfortunately, and if anyone wants the Hummel or Alkan cadenza let me know.

Beethoven

Alkan:

Hummel

Ivan Klánský, (around 3.00)

Emile Naoumoff

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Vestard Shimkus

Alfred Brendel (10.40)

[dyltron]

Too bad we can't hear more of them. I'm eager to hear Clara Schumann's.

Barenboim, who writes almost all his own cadenzas for Mozart, uses Beethoven's in the first movement. Maybe he thinks it can't be bettered? Barenboim's cadenza for no. 21 is magic.

I hadn't heard Hummel's before, it was quite pleasant.

[vandermozart3]

Before I'd only heard Beethoven's, and as a passionate Beethoven fan I was going to vote for him before listening to the others...... but I didn't and THEY ARE SO GOOD


How do you expect us to choose??!?!! They're so GOOOOD 

[perfect_pitch]

For me - I always usually choose the cadenza that I think suits the era of the original composition. Since Mozart didn't write a cadenza for the No. 20 (as far as I know) I'd go for something that sounds like a classical era cadenza. This way it doesn't seem out of place from the whole work.

The Beethoven is rather close. I do like it and it doesn't stray too far from the style of Mozart.

For me - the Alkan cadenza sounds way too harmonically out of place for Mozart - he goes through chromatic rising harmonies, and changes the style to a very sweet romantic sounds passage and it really doesn't suit the work when you listen to it as a whole. And at the end - it sounds like Alkan is just taking the piss... (suggesting - look what I can write).

The Hummel does use techniques similar to some of the Cadenzas that Mozart did write in other concertos (like his No. 23 in A Major). Yes, it does try and get a bit more technical than Mozart really allowed in the No. 20, but the harmony doesn't sound that obscure compared to the whole.

The Klansky doesn't sound too bad. It sounds quite playful and I think Mozart was definitely the jokester. It sounds quite early Romantic, sort of something Beethoven would write, so I consider it just as good as his. I must admit though - he does look like a bit of an oddball when he plays the piano - Maybe that's where Lang Lang got his inspiration from   

As for Naoumoff's - No. Didn't like it - to me, completely out of style with the harmonies for a Mozart cadenza.



Anyway, that's just my take. Haven't heard them all - but it was an interesting question. Magic_hands - this is quite an intellectual topic you started. I like it.

[magic_hands]

To anyone interested, I will put up my cadenza for everyone once its done... Should be done after summer

[franz_]

Check the one of Shimkus on youtube! ))

[lohshuhan]

Someone should notate down Murray Perahia's own very brilliant cadenza for this which he played in his recording with the Berlin Philharmonic..  )

[mike_lang]

And most similar to Mozart I find Emile Naoumoff

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Hey, that's my teacher!  Just saw him last week and he gave me a book of his latest published Bach transcriptions by Schott . . .

[magic_hands]

To anyone still interested, I have been going through many cadenzas on youtube, many of which are wonderful, but I'd like to share

&feature=related. Its short and sweet.

[mreverbel]

Can anyone provide an audio for the Brahms cadenza? I've never listened to it, and am very interested.

[haydnseeker]

Somebody recently played me the recording of a really bizarre jazzy one by Peter Breiner.  I don't know for sure what the CD was but I think it must be this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Piano-Concertos-Mozart/dp/B00000IKT1/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1320672421&sr=1-3

I was asked to guess who it might be by - I suggested Bobby McFerrin!

It's wildly inappropriate, but is it any worse than Busoni's for Concerto 21?

Did Friedrich Gulda ever play jazzy cadenzas?

[magic_hands]

I couldn't find Gulda cadenzas...

Does anyone by any chance have Busoni's cadenzas to k.466? I need it for my dissertation, but I am really struggling to help. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[magic_hands]

I have written three cadenzas for this piece. Just in case anyone is interested I have uploaded them.

The first uses a theme from Don Giovanni.

The second is the biggest, sweetest, most badass I could create (Very un-Mozartian, but meh. My personal attack on the moribund state of classical music)

The last has a fugue on a theme that none of the cadenzas I know of expand upon.

I have also transcribed the Shimkus cadenza mentioned earlier. If anyone wants it, let me know