Publikationen

W.A. Mozart: Klavierkonzert c-Moll KV 491

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto in C minor, K491, arranged for solo piano and three accompanying instruments by Johann Nepomuk Hummel
hrsg. v. Leonardo Miucci

Launton nr. Bicester 2017, Edition HH, Partitur und Stimmen (xviii/54+16+16+16 Seiten)
ISBN 978-1-910359-51-8

Musical arrangement was central throughout the career of Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778–1837), whose output includes about fifty transcriptions of pieces in a variety of musical genres, from opera overtures to symphonies and chamber music. Of particular importance are his adaptations of seven of Mozart’s piano concertos (K365, 456, 466, 482, 491, 503 and 537) for piano quartet (flute, violin, cello, fortepiano), not only for their historical significance in terms of Mozart reception, but for the invaluable information they provide about the performance practice of the time. Though partly looking to the contemporary aesthetic values of the piano, Hummel aimed to remain faithful to original classical principles, structure and musical language. His choice of instruments allowed him to preserve a satisfactory balance between the basso continuo, shared by the cello and piano, and the melody, shared by the piano and violin; the role of the flute was mainly to represent the typical tone of the woodwinds. Most notable with regard to performance practice are Hummel’s efforts to complete Mozart’s text in line with standard 18th-century convention, in passages where the original notation is sparse, or at least not fully comprehensive. His realizations, for example, shed light on such problematic questions as improvised embellishment and the treatment of Eingänge (lead-ins).

Materialien

 

In Hummel’s treatment of Mozart’s Piano Concerto K491, we encounter his innate ‘affinity’ with the source material referred to earlier, but with some wonderfully adept modifications and ‘updates’. There is far more artistry here than the word ‘transcription’ frequently implies: we encounter the interventions of a master in his own right, who is at pains to communicate the exquisite beauty of this music through a chamber idiom.
David J Golby in The Consort Vol. 75 (Sommer 2019)

... for all pianists who love performing Chamber Music, here is a wonderful opportunity to study and perform some of Mozart’s Piano Concertos in smaller ensembles without having to gain access to a full orchestra and, at the same time, becoming totally familiar with every orchestral tutti passage ensuring complete security in the event of a conventional concerto performance.

Nadia Lasserson in The European Journal for Pianists and Piano Teachers Vol 103 (2014)