Mozart Piano Concerto No.21 in C Major

Mozart's Concerto No.21 became enormously popular with second Movement - Andante - better known as "Elvira Madigan"

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467 was first performed this day on March 10, 1785, in Vienna, with no less than the composer himself as the soloist. Mozart was 29 years old. It was completed on March 9, 1785 by Mozart four weeks (other biographers say it's three weeks) after the completion of his tempestuous D-minor concerto, K. 466.

Piano Concerto No.21 in C Major (K.467) by Mozart premiered on March 10, 1785, with no other than the maestro himself the soloist.  He was 29 years old.  (Mozart photo by C. Vogel.)

The concerto has three movements:

• I. Allegro maestoso
• II. Andante in F major - "Elvira Madigan" (Famously nicknamed "Elvira Madigan" - featured in the 1967 Swedish film of the same title,  Elvira Madigan. The imagery used in the movie was of a lazy boat ride on a placid lake. Since the film, "Elvira Madigan" has been used as the unofficial name of Mozart's second movement from this piano concerto. This dream-like andante movement is such a lovely melody. In recent times, it has also been used in some other films. It was also used in Marcel Barceau's funeral.)
• III. Allegro vivace assai

A handbill advert read as follows:

"On Thursday, March 10, 1785, Kapellmeister Mozart will have the honor of giving in the Imperial and Royal Court Theater a Grand Musical Concert for his own benefit including not only a new, just finished fortepiano concerto [presumably sight-read by the orchestra] to be played by him, but also an especially large fortepiano with pedals will be used for improvisations. The remaining pieces will be announced by a large poster on the day of the concert."

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K.467 Pollini-Muti

Mozart - Piano Concerto No.21 "Elvira Madigan" - 2nd Movement - Andante

(Note: This is a slower version of Mozart's Piano Concerto 21 "Andante")

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 (Andante)

Resources:

• Hutchings, A. 1997. A Companion to Mozart's Piano Concertos, Oxford University Press

• Latham, Alison, ed., The Oxford Companion to Music. Oxford University Press ( 2002)

• "Piano Concerto No. 21 in C, K. 467" written by Herbert Glass for the LA Times. www.laphil.com/philpedia/piece-detail.cfm?id=114&bc=1. Retrieved March 10, 2012.

• Steinberg, Michael, The Concerto: A Listener's Guide, p. 305-307, Oxford University Press (1998)

Video Credit:

• Mozart: Piano concerto n. No. 21 in C major, K.467 Pollini-Muti. YouTube uploaded by alessandro152. Accessed March 12, 2012.


• Mozart's Andante, Piano Concerto 21 2nd Movement. YouTube, uploaded by vmichelotto. Accessed March 12, 2012.


• Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 "Andante". YouTube, uploaded by Poloshia. Accessed January 8, 2010.

Mozart photos:  Public Domain.

Previous update was Nov 25, 2012. Slight tweak today, January 27, 2017.