For more than 200 years Mozart's piano sonatas have been part of every pianist's repertoire. Research done over the last few decades has made it possible, however, to establish more accurate dating and ordering of these works. Expert examination of the sources has shown that many printed editions from the 18th Century give more reliable detail than Mozart's autograph manuscripts; many of these works were prepared for publication by the composer himself and marked with precise indications for performance with regard to ornamentation, dynamics and articulation. All this, together with the rediscovery of sources that only became accessible again at the end of the 20th Century, gives reason enough to justify the publication of a new Wiener Urtext edition of Mozart's Piano Sonatas. Volume 1 contains the Sonatas K 279 to K 311, volume 2 the Sonatas K 330 to K 576. For Sonata K 284, variation XI in the final movement is given both in the version that appears in Mozart's autograph manuscript and in the version used in the first edition; in order to make the music easier to read, both versions are given in normal print size. Music that is clear and well laid out, with page turns in convenient places, makes this edition extremely user-friendly. Advice on performance by the renowned Mozart specialist Robert D. Levin provides fresh stimulus for what can otherwise too often become a rather tired interpretation.

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