Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
For the finale of this concerto, Mozart returns to the dark D minor tonality from the first movement. Yet, tragedy isn't the point here... certainly not towards the end of the piece.
After the first minute or so, the tone hardly ever matches the intensity found in the first movement, and sometimes even attains a rather playful nature.
An example of this would be at 3:49, a masterful passage in which the piano engages in "conversation" with the woodwinds, passing a pair of different figures back and forth.
That may seem a bit complicated on paper, but Mozart makes it sound like the most natural thing in the world.
Incidentally, this reminds me heavily of the first movement of Mozart's Bassoon Concerto, which has a very similar passage in it.
At 5:23, we once again have a cadenza composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. In keeping with the proportions and nature of this movement, this cadenza is a good deal shorter and less dramatic than the one found in the first movement.
However, that doesn't mean it's uneventful. As with any cadenza, it tests the performer's skills.
An easy standout in this regard is the trill started at 6:06, which greatly speeds up towards the end of the cadenza.
Lastly, after the end of the cadenza (6:31), comes a coda in D major. This turn towards the major key at the very end may very well be the composer yielding to the conventions of his time. However, true to his genius, Mozart's coda is utterly excellent in the way that it manages to sound completely right and justified, not needing a great buildup to reach its happy ending.
Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466
III. Allegro assai
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Movement 1: youtube.com/watch?v=nQ15EXR2MRo
Movement 2: youtube.com/watch?v=dxpwUN4vIpc
Kingdom Hearts version: youtube.com/watch?v=l0gdFvrDDA0
Pokémon DPP version: youtube.com/watch?v=U7WqDo9FFpU
8-bit version: youtube.com/watch?v=ast_A7uiUi0
For the finale of this concerto, Mozart returns to the dark D minor tonality from the first movement. Yet, tragedy isn't the point here... certainly not towards the end of the piece.
After the first minute or so, the tone hardly ever matches the intensity found in the first movement, and sometimes even attains a rather playful nature.
An example of this would be at 3:49, a masterful passage in which the piano engages in "conversation" with the woodwinds, passing a pair of different figures back and forth.
That may seem a bit complicated on paper, but Mozart makes it sound like the most natural thing in the world.
Incidentally, this reminds me heavily of the first movement of Mozart's Bassoon Concerto, which has a very similar passage in it.
At 5:23, we once again have a cadenza composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. In keeping with the proportions and nature of this movement, this cadenza is a good deal shorter and less dramatic than the one found in the first movement.
However, that doesn't mean it's uneventful. As with any cadenza, it tests the performer's skills.
An easy standout in this regard is the trill started at 6:06, which greatly speeds up towards the end of the cadenza.
Lastly, after the end of the cadenza (6:31), comes a coda in D major. This turn towards the major key at the very end may very well be the composer yielding to the conventions of his time. However, true to his genius, Mozart's coda is utterly excellent in the way that it manages to sound completely right and justified, not needing a great buildup to reach its happy ending.
Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466
III. Allegro assai
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Movement 1: youtube.com/watch?v=nQ15EXR2MRo
Movement 2: youtube.com/watch?v=dxpwUN4vIpc
Kingdom Hearts version: youtube.com/watch?v=l0gdFvrDDA0
Pokémon DPP version: youtube.com/watch?v=U7WqDo9FFpU
8-bit version: youtube.com/watch?v=ast_A7uiUi0
