Review of Four Horn Concertos and Concert Rondo by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart G Shirmer Edition

Along with the Concerto No. 1 by Richard Strauss and Beethoven's Horn Sonata, all four of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Horn concertos and His Concert Rondo are parts of a horn player's standard solo repertoire and are loved by many. As with any part that is transcribed and arranged for piano from an orchestra part, the Mozart concertos are a challenge to the pianist that accompanies the horn. The horn parts also prove to be a challenge not only technically, but stylistically as well because the tempo and dynamics have to be taken into consideration to the time period it was written as well as the composer's original intent.

Four Horn Concertos and Concert Rondo by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, published by G Shirmer, is an arrangement of all horn concertos and Concert Rondo for Horn and Piano. Often used in competitions and performances, this collection is conveniently put together in one book and it has a separate pull out section for the solo horn.

While playing through this edition, it must be noted that transposing the horn part is not necessary. The original keys in which the concertos are written as such: Concerto No. 1 in D Major (horn part in D), Concertos 2, 3, 4 and the Concert Rondo are in E Flat Major (horn part in E Flat). The Schirmer edition has all the horn parts written in F. Another thing to note in this edition are the dynamics and articulations that are placed in the pieces. They are placed by the editor and not Mozart himself. So, one may have to take these markings with a grain of salt as far as interpretation. One also must be aware when practicing and performing these concertos from this edition is that the orchestra "tutti" horn parts are written in the solo horn parts as though they are a part of the solo itself. It is not advised that these orchestral parts be played by the soloist because it would make an awkward performance. It is recommended that you have another edition and/or a recording of the Mozart concerto you are working on and edit the horn part by marking which ones are the solo passages and which ones are the tutti passages.

Overall, the G Shirmer Edition of the Four Horn Concertos and Concert Rondo is a good tool for a student player to use for a solo contest in preparation for a solo contest or audition. It eliminates the need for transposition and gives the student work on the other musical and technical aspects of the music. It is also a good thing to have on hand if you want all your Mozart concertos together in one book for a Mostly Mozart recital.

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Four Horn Concertos And Concert Rondo (Horn and Piano). By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). For horn and piano accompaniment. Brass Solo. Classical Period. Difficulty: medium. Set of performance parts (includes separate pull-out horn part). Solo part and piano reduction. 127 pages. G. Schirmer #LB1807. Published by G. Schirmer (HL.50261880) (15) ...more info