Keyboard instruments > 2 Pianos, 4-hands
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto C major K. 503
Editor: Ernst Herttrich
Piano reduction: András Schiff
Fingering: András Schiff
Cadenza: András Schiff
29.95 $
Urtext Edition, Piano reduction, paperbound
two copies needed for performance
Orchestral material available from Breitkopf & Härtel
Pages: 80 (VI, 74)
Order no. HN 825 · ISMN 979-0-2018-0825-3
Level of difficulty (Piano): medium (Level 6)
Mozart wrote all of his piano concertos for himself “or for a small circle of amateurs and connoisseurs”, which resulted in the fact that – excepting a few – they were not published during his lifetime. Even K. 503, his longest piano concerto, was only published posthumously by Constanze at her own expense. Mozart’s particular fondness for this work can be seen from a sketch leaf for the first movement, on which he thoroughly honed the composition. The piano reduction for our edition was prepared by the world-famous pianist András Schiff, to whom we also owe the reductions for the concertos K. 453, 467 and 488. In addition he also supplied the fingerings for the solo part as well as the cadenza.
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Reviews
The fingering, ornaments and the cadenzas are by Andras Schiff and it really is a pleasure to use. ... This is a beautifully printed and scholarly edition which I am sure soloists will enjoy using along with the full score.
[Piano Professional, 2012]
Ernst Herttrich, ein Name mit großem Renommee in der Mozart-Forschung, hat diese mit ebenso großer Quellenkenntnis wie Sorgfalt und Umsicht besorgt.
[Acta Mozartiana, 2011]
The levels of difficulty of the
piano music published by G. Henle Publishers
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| easy | medium | difficult | ||||||
The levels of difficulty of the piano music published by G. Henle Publishers
| Level | Grade | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | easy | Bach, Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach, nos. 4 and 5 |
| 2 | Bach, Well-Tempered Clavier I, no. 1 Prelude C major | |
| 3 | Beethoven, Piano Sonatas op. 49,1 and 2 | |
| 4 | medium | Grieg, Lyric Pieces op. 12, no. 4 |
| 5 | Schumann, Fantasy Pieces op. 12, no. 1 | |
| 6 | Chopin, Nocturnes op. 27, nos. 1 and 2 | |
| 7 | difficult | Beethoven, Piano Sonata op. 10, no. 3 |
| 8 | Beethoven, Piano Sonata op. 81a | |
| 9 | Schumann, Toccata op. 7 |
Guide to the levels of difficulty
"I don't know what 'difficult' means. Either you can play or you can't" – this was the rather terse comment by the great violinist Nathan Milstein, on being asked about the unbelievable difficulty of Niccolo Paganini's Caprice no. 1.
The relativity of the evaluation of difficulty in music immediately becomes clear. Yet I gladly take up this great challenge, presented to me by G. Henle Publishers. For I am aware of how useful a guide like this can be, both from my own experience as well as that of many colleagues. In particular so as to be able to identify "appropriate" works. For example for music teachers, who teach at very different levels, from beginners to those preparing for music conservatories, but also for all those interested amateurs for whom this guide is intended.
After careful deliberation I have settled on nine levels of difficulty, which I have divided into three groups: 1–3 (easy), 4–6 (medium), 7–9 (difficult). A number of parameters have been considered when assessing the level of difficulty. I have not just looked at the number of fast or slow notes to be played, or the chord sequences; of central importance are also the complexity of the piece's composition, its rhythmic complexities, the difficulty of reading the text for the first time, and last but not least, how easy or difficult it is to understand its musical structure. I have defined "piece" as being the musical unit of a sonata, or a single piece in a cycle, which is why Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" Part I comprises a total of 48 levels of difficulty (each prelude and fugue is considered separately), Schumann's Sonata in f sharp minor op.11 only has a single number. My assessment is measured by the ability to prepare a piece for performance.
While assessing the pieces, it became clear that the medium level of difficulty (4–6) is the trickiest. Now and again this means that a piece is judged as a "3/4", even if it only deserved a "3" as far as piano technique is concerned. An example of such a "borderline" case (easy/medium) is Schumann's "Scenes from Childhood" op. 15 Von fremden Ländern und Menschen or at the other end "6/7" part of Bach's "English Suites". And of course within a main category there are also "from-to" evaluations (e.g. 7/8).
Any evaluation of art or music will always be subjective, even if the aim was to be objective. Despite the fact that I have endeavoured to be as careful as possible, I am all too aware that the results of my work can be called into question, and am therefore grateful for any suggestions you might have.
Prof. Rolf Koenen © 2010