Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat major, K 595

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This was Mozart's final piano concerto, first performed in the year of his death. The concerto is notable for its themes which return across movements, an idea which became very important in the Romantic period which followed. The first movement features many radical shifts into new keys, each with their own emotional character. Despite much of the music being in a major key, it doesn't sound particularly happy, with frequent sighing motifs. This can be seen in the gorgeous second movement, one of the composer's most famous, which has a simple A-B-A structure. The finale is cheerful, and brings the music to a satisfying conclusion. Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Performers: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Performer: Paul Lewis (Piano) Conductor: Ludovic Morlot Recording date: 24 January 2009 Date of broadcast: 22 May 2015