About this edition
Composed in the autumn of 1784, Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat Major, K.456 stands among the remarkable series of concertos he wrote at the height of his Viennese fame. Long associated with the blind virtuoso pianist Maria Theresia von Paradis — for whom Mozart likely intended it — the concerto is celebrated for its luminous wind writing, its tender F-minor Andante with variations on a plaintive siciliano theme, and a finale whose witty cross-rhythms famously moved Leopold Mozart to tears at a 1785 performance attended by the Emperor himself.
This score reproduces the text from the landmark Mozarts Werke edition, Serie XVI (Concerte für das Pianoforte), Band 3, No. 18, published by Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig in 1878 (plate W.A.M. 456). The Alte Mozart-Ausgabe was the first complete critical edition of Mozart's works, prepared by an editorial committee that included Johannes Brahms, Joseph Joachim, and Philipp Spitta. For more than a century it served as the definitive scholarly text for Mozart's music, and it remains a foundational source whose engraving clarity and editorial care continue to make it a trusted reference for performers and scholars alike.
About this edition:
- Full orchestral score (conductor's score), pages 1–64 of the original volume
- Page size: 8.5 x 11 inches
- Reproduced from a public domain historical score
- Scoring: solo piano, flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, and strings
- Includes all three movements: Allegro vivace — Andante un poco sostenuto — Allegro vivace
- Published by Purple 4R Publishing
This edition makes a treasured historical printing of Mozart's K.456 available once again to conductors, pianists, orchestras, students, and lifelong lovers of the Classical repertoire. We are delighted to bring this beautiful score back into print so that it can find its way onto music stands, library shelves, and study desks where it belongs.
