Piano Concerto [No. 9] in E flat major K. 271

Robert Levin’s brilliant and inspired recording (with Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music) and Breitkopf’s new edition have two things in common: their historically well-founded approach and the editorial team consisting of Robert Levin and Cliff Eisen. Here, "Urtext" signifies an eschewal of a "final version" that never existed and that Mozart himself had never even envisaged. On the contrary, Levin and Eisen pursue an editorial philosophy tailored to Mozart and his music: "Standardization is the greatest aesthetic threat in the performance of Mozarts concertos." To prepare the score of the new edition, the editors were able to consult the autograph, located in Krakow, for the very first time. The new edition clearly incorporates a much broader base of findings than any previous edition, including the NMA. At the same time, the score and piano reduction offer a wealth of additional information on performance practice gleaned from further authentic sources, including observations on continuo practice, instruments, size and disposition of the orchestra, ornaments, tempo and character, cadenzas and flourishes.