As a young man, Mozart appeared as a soloist on both violin and piano, but after moving to Vienna in 1781 he devoted himself exclusively to the keyboard. In 1782 he launched his own concert series in the city, which required a steady supply of new works to maintain audience interest. The years 1784 to 1786 are remarkable in musical terms: during this period, a dozen of his piano concertos were composed. They are all very different, and all stand as high points in his output.

The Concerto in A major dates from the end of this period. It is written for a relatively small orchestra and has an intimate character. The first movement unfolds as an almost continuous song between piano and orchestra, while the slow movement is rare in Mozart’s output—sorrowful and nearly despondent. The finale appears as a cheerful ballet, but as so often with Mozart, something unfathomable lies beneath the smile.

Much has been said and written about Mozart’s financial difficulties in the final years of his life. In 1788, Austria joined Russia in war against the Ottoman Empire, and life in Vienna suffered a serious decline. Mozart discontinued his concert series, and the production of piano concertos came to a halt.

Why Mozart composed his Concerto in D major, we do not know. Large parts of the left-hand part are missing from the score, suggesting a great rush before the premiere. That he never added the remaining notes later, which would have taken only minutes, is curious. He later performed it at the coronation of Leopold II in Frankfurt, which is how it gained the nickname “Coronation Concerto”.

Had it been Mozart’s only one, it would have been overplayed many times over, but with so many brilliant piano concertos, Mozart remains his own greatest rival. It is a proud and lively work, with one of those angelic slow movements that Mozart so often includes in his concertos.

As a prelude to the piano concertos, we hear two overtures: first the dark and fateful Don Giovanni, followed by the overture to the proud Roman emperor Titus.