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Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466

178530 min

This guide follows Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466 (1785) in three parts: Allegro (sonata form), Romance and Allegro assai (sonata form).

Recording: Daniel Barenboim (piano), Berliner Philharmoniker, Daniel Barenboim

I Allegro · Sonata form · 25 sections

: 1
: 1
: 2
: 2
:
: Piano 1
: 1
: 2
: Piano 2
: Piano
: 1a
:
: Section 1 / Piano 1a
: Piano 1b
: Piano 1c
: Section 2
: 1
: 1
: 2
: Piano 2
: Piano
: to
: 2
:
:
AnalysisComments
  1. I · Sonata form
  2. II
  3. III · Sonata form
ISonata form0:02–14:27

The strings open quietly and restlessly, with off-beat accents and triplet upbeats: a mood more than a tune. The music swells to a full orchestra, and then the woodwinds present the ( 2). The piano enters with a new of its own (Piano 1), and its then arrives in F major. Then come the and the . A to the follows, after which a heightens the tension with timpani. The ends quietly.

  1. : 1
  2. : 1
  3. : 2
  4. : 2
  5. :
  6. : Piano 1
  7. : 1
  8. : 2
  9. : Piano 2
  10. : Piano
  11. : 1a
  12. :
  13. : Section 1 / Piano 1a
  14. : Piano 1b
  15. : Piano 1c
  16. : Section 2
  17. : 1
  18. : 1
  19. : 2
  20. : Piano 2
  21. : Piano
  22. : to
  23. : 2
  24. :
  25. :
II14:33–23:29

The piano opens alone with the tender main melody ( A1) that gives the its name, . The tune as A2 and A3, with a gentler (B) before the first . The central (C) is in G minor and stormy, with a turbulent , orchestral fortissimo chords and virtuoso piano arpeggios in reply. A steers back to B-flat major. The closes the with a light rising arpeggio.

  1. A1
  2. a
  3. b
  4. b
  6. B
  8. A2
  9. C /
  10. 2
  11. 1
  13. A3
III Sonata form23:34–30:27

A fast that opens with the piano alone, rippling upward in D minor in a figure known as the Mannheim rocket (a quickly rising arpeggio). The orchestra answers furiously with the . Along the way come a dark, restless piano melody (in B1) and a cheerful F major tune from the orchestra. The as A2 and A3, and a (C) comes between them. After the , the turns fully sunny in D major.

  1. / A1:
  2. / A1:
  3. / A1: b
  4. / A1:
  5. B1: 1
  6. B1:
  7. B1: 2
  8. B1: 2
  9. B1: f
  10. B1: 3
  11. B1: 3 piano
  12. B1:
  13. A2
  14. C: 1
  15. C:
  16. C: 1
  17. C:
  18. B2: 2
  19. B2: 2
  20. B2: f
  21. B2: 3
  22. B2: 3 piano
  23. B2:
  24. A3

Section boundaries in music are not always sharp; a transition may be felt over a pause or a held chord.

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BachTrio Sonata No. 1 in E-flat major, BWV 5251730HaydnSymphony No. 1 in D major, Hob. I:11759HaydnHorn Concerto in D major, Hob. VIId:31762HaydnPiano Sonata in A-flat major, Hob. XVI:461770HaydnPiano Sonata in C minor, Hob. XVI:201771HaydnString Quartet in A major, Op. 20 No. 61772HaydnString Quartet in C major, Op. 20 No. 21772HaydnString Quartet in D major, Op. 20 No. 41772HaydnString Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 20 No. 11772HaydnString Quartet in F minor, Op. 20 No. 51772

In listening paths

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Path 08

The concerto, 1721 to 1959

Soloist and orchestra across two and a half centuries, from Bach's harpsichord to Rostropovich's cello.

Bach → Vivaldi → Mozart → Beethoven → Mendelssohn → Tchaikovsky → Dvořák → Rachmaninoff → Ravel → Shostakovich

10 works · 4 h 59 min

In the catalog

Wolfgang Amadeus MozartConcertosClassical periodD minorSonata form

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