Trumpet Concerto (Leopold Mozart)

Leopold Mozart's Trumpet Concerto in D major was completed in 1762, and is now "popular with trumpeters." [Charles Cudsworth, review of Argo LP ZRG 669, "The Musical Times" 112 1539 (1971): 452] The work is in two movements:

*I. Largo [The Gábor Darvas edition published by Editio Musica of Budapest says "Largo," but some CDs say "Adagio" or even "Andante."]
*II. Allegro moderato

Besides the solo trumpet in D, the concerto is scored for two horns in F and strings. Only the first movement provides room for a cadenza; the Gábor Darvas edition published by Editio Musica gives an 8-measure cadenza which requires no ledger lines but consistently involves small note values. In fact, in regards to range, the concerto is "cautious." [E. H. Tarr, preface to Michael Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in C major, which by contrast is "dangerous" in its use of high notes.]

Discography

Nikolaus Harnoncourt with Vienna Concentus Musicus chooses this Trumpet Concerto to cap off a disc of his son's music, which includes the Bassoon Concerto, K. 191.

It can also be found on CDs with trumpet concertos by other composers, such as George Vosburgh's recording with the Seattle Symphony and Gerard Schwarz, which includes Joseph Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major, Johann Nepomuk Hummel's Trumpet Concerto in E major and Georg Philipp Telemann's Trumpet Concerto in D major. The Naxos Records album "The Art of the Baroque Trumpet", Volume 1, with Niklas Eklund, groups Mozart's Concerto with Baroque trumpet concertos such as the aforementioned Telemann, and adds Molter, Purcell, Fasch and Handel. Eklund writes his own cadenza for the first movement. Miroslav Kejmar also includes it in his "Famous Trumpet Concerti" album, which besides Joseph Haydn's is all Baroque. On Telarc, Rolf Smedvig with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jahja Ling plays Mozart's Concerto as well as Telemann's and Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2.

References