The photographs were taken on walks at Innisfree Garden, October 7 and 11, 2015. I’ll be offline more than on for several days. I look forward to hearing from anyone who happens by, though I may be delayed in responding to comments.
Listening List
Mozart: Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major for Piano and Orchestra, K.482 (1785)
In addition to the Mozart selection in this post’s listening list, it’s piano concerto month (October 16-November 15) at the Great Composers Appreciation Society. The line-up is below, and you can join in here:
Week 1: J. S. Bach: Keyboard Concerto in D minor BWV 1052 & one by his son C P E Bach
Week 2: 2 piano concertos by W. A. Mozart (No. 5, K175 and No. 22, K 482, which is featured on this post)
Week 3: Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1
Week 4: Benjamin Britten: Piano Concerto
Postscript: In the course of the discussions at GCAS, I remarked on the “conversational” approach the the concerto in Mozart’s No. 22 (K 482) and, with the help of liner notes on the concerto, made an effort to attach some time stamps to the video offered here that I thought demonstrated this. (Unfortunately, since I wrote this the video performance against which I identified time stamps is no longer available, so the time stamps below may well not match.) My comment is below and may also be found at this link, where you can also find excerpts from the liner notes, as well as the lively (not to mention wide-ranging) discussion that ensued.
Tonight I revisited Mozart’s PC 22 (K 482), and how interesting to listen to it fresh on the heels of our Romantic concerto. Even more striking to me than before is its conversational approach. The solo fortepiano passages never stray far from the orchestra’s, as is further emphasized by prominent solo, duet, and small ensemble passages for other instruments in the orchestra. The delicious anticipation of the fortepiano’s return to the orchestral fold is ever-present, including during cadenzas. While I am not aware, technically, of all the ways in which this occurs, I feel confident in stating that every single aspect of the composition—harmony, rhythm, thematic material, the lot—is elegantly constructed to achieve this effect.
For me, the second movement particularly highlights the conversational approach. Per the liner notes I posted earlier here, this movement is a “fusion of variation and rondo forms, and its structure is clarified through contrasts in scoring.” Below is my attempt to time stamp some of this—those who know better, please do correct any errors:
13:30 mvmt begins
16:09 wind serenade
17:04 piano cadenza
18:06 flute/bassoon duet with strings
18:54 piano returns
20:22 winds enter
The third movement, per the liner notes, is a “hunting rondo” with a minuet at its center, rather than the development one might expect. In another example of conversational interplay among the fortepiano and other instruments, there’s a lovely passage beginning at about 29:08 where a motif travels through solo oboe, flute, and piano. Here’s my attempt at some time stamps of this movement:
21:55 mvmt begins
26:15 minuet
28:50 return to hunting rondo (oboe, flute, piano play same motif at 29:08)
30:42 cadenza
31:55 coda?
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The photographs, as always on the blog unless otherwise indicated, are mine.
Prufrock's Dilemma 
I fear the WordPress gremlins have affected your post, Sue. When I began reading, the first few photos of your first slide show were there, but then they disappeared. And, nothing ever appeared for your second slide show. Then, they appeared. And then they disappeared.
What I saw was lovely, though, and the music is, too. I’ll come back later, and see if the problem has resolved itself.
shoreacres: Thanks for the alert, and actually, I have had the same problem when viewing from my ipad mini, though all is fine on the computer and Mom’s ipad. I suspect having two slideshows run in one post, particularly as wordpress doesn’t give an option other than autorun, may be behind the failures to load. Perhaps combining the photos into a single slideshow will work better. I’ll see if I can accomplish that tonight.
Dear Sue, oh how I wish I were there – again there with you both, walking about that lovely bridge, seeing the glorious autumn colours rejoice all along the Hudson river. And Innisfree Gardens must be especially delightful at this time of the year too, all the Japanese touches, as your beautiful photos show. .
Britta: How nice to “see” you there! It has been a particularly spectacular fall here, this week at absolute peak leaf color. Innisfree closed 10/18 (I will have photos from that weekend, too), but since then, the view of the ridges from the Hudson River, not to mention from our front yard, both of which you and A. saw this summer, have been glorious.
Ah, that’s the ticket. Beautiful photos, and beautiful colors. I think my favorite photo shows the vines among the stepping stones. But they’re all wonderful. It must be so special to have such a place at hand.
The photo in your header reminds me of my favorite bit of National Geographic wall paper: a series of chairs lined up at Crystal Lake, in Vermont. Grandma had some of these chairs.
shoreacres: Phew! So relieved you can now see the photos and enjoyed them. I also love the vines on the stepping stones–I wasn’t sure whether they’d be interesting to others, so I’m particularly glad you appreciated that photo. (I’m afraid I loaded a few too many photos this time around, even if in a single slideshow. I contacted WordPress for help, and they noted there were 50(!) photos!!)
I KNOW those chairs. Love them!
Yes, I refrained from commenting because I couldn’t see the slideshow. Now I can, and what a mixture of big nature and intimate art that place is. I love the sunlight on the underside of the waterlily leaves.
I went for a walk in Kensington Gardens today as it’s so mild suddenly as well as sunny. I realised how autumn has been unfolding without my going out into nature to take much notice of it. The colours of the trees were far advanced; it all seemed unreal because so sudden to me, and walking over the springy ground seemed fresh and new. I didn’t find any splendid fungi as you have there, though. A few grand ones in Kew the other Sunday. But we must get OUT – there’s little excuse.
I love that concerto for the way the rondo comes to a halt and you get a sublime wind-band minuet which foreshadows the world of Cosi.
David: I’m so glad you were now able to view Innisfree as autumn unfolded there, and even happier to know you’ve been able to get to your own Kensington Gardens before autumn passed you by. (I know how easy it is for that to happen; it is a fleeting season.) Yes, we must get OUT! I have far less excuse than you for failing to do so, but this year I really did redouble my efforts, and it has paid off handsomely. I have to go back to the concerto again and listen precisely for what you describe here. So much of what music is made of gets past me, despite my resolve.