Concert de Vienne 23 mars 1783

Description

On March 23, 1783, an important concert took place in Vienna that played a significant role in establishing Mozart's reputation in the imperial capital, where he had been residing since 1781. It is clear that Mozart wants to be heard not only in what he composed before 1781 but also in his most recent works. From the Salzburg repertoire, he borrowed the Haffner Symphony. He also included the long concertante movement for wind instruments from the Posthorn Serenade. The program featured two piano concertos (one from Salzburg, and the most recent one, likely composed for the occasion), several arias from older operas (Lucio Silla, Idomeneo) as well as some newly written ones. While he performed his concertos, he also improvised piano variations and even a fugue (because the emperor was in attendance). A historic concert to rediscover, as if we were there!