SMSO: "The Exuberance of Life" at the Howard

When asked what makes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's piano concertos so special, Christopher O'Riley references an oft-heard line from an old piano teacher.

"He always said that Mozart's piano sonatas were like symphonies and his piano concertos were like operas," O'Riley says by telephone from Chicago. "I always felt like a piano concerto is best conceived as an operatic form where there are lots of opportunities for flexibility of time. There are moments in this particular concerto where the piano isn't at all accompanied by the orchestra and in those situations you don't have to be a slave to the tempo. It's a wonderful way to stretch out. I think it's Mozart's way of saying, 'OK, you're on your own, so be on your own.'"

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