Mozart's C minor Sonata, KV 457, was completed in October 1784 and published over a year later with the C minor Fantasia, KV 475, which was composed later.
Historical Context
In Mozart's time, melancholy was a fashionable mood, sometimes expressed by people having mausoleums excavated in their own gardens to lie in.
Compositional Technique
The A minor Rondo, KV 511, uses chromatic harmony that departs from the gracious society music of its period, and ends with a Neapolitan sixth chord, a musical signature of suffering.
Critical Reception
The French writer Stendhal (Marie-Henri Beyle, 1783-1842) described Mozart's music as capable of moving people by presenting melancholy images and reminding them of the pain of sweet passions.
Compositional Technique
The C minor Fantasia, KV 475, showcases Mozart's improvisational genius with its free multi-part structure, overflowing melodic and structural inventiveness, and rich contrasting elements.
Composer Biography
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself was familiar with melancholy, writing to his father after his mother's death that letters helped him escape such attacks.
Performer Biography
Konstanze Eickhorst, the pianist on this album, won first prizes at the 'Clara Haskil' and 'Geza Anda' international competitions, launching her successful career.
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