Interpreting Mozart

Paul Badura-Skoda is one of the most important pianists of our time. In 1945, Badura-Skoda entered the Vienna entered the Vienna Conservatory, and two years later won first prize in the Austrian Music Competition and a scholarship which allowed him to study with Edwin Fischer. In 1949, Wilhelm Firtwängler and Herbert von Karajan became aware of Badura-Skoda's outstanding talent, and invited him to play concerts. Practically overnight the young Viennese became a world-famous artist. Since then, Badura-Skoda has been a regular and celebrated guest at the most important music festivals, and a soloist with world's most prestigious orchestras.Eva Badura-Skoda is a musicologist, publishing extensively on the history of the piano and on performance-practice problems of the 18th and 19th centuries.

• Introduction 1. Mozart's World of Sound 2. Dynamics 3. Problems of Tempo and Rhythm 4. Articulation 5. Ornaments 6. Improvised Embellishments 7. Cadenzas and Lead-Ins 8. "Expression und Gusto" 9. In Search of the Best Text 10. Playing with Orchestra 11. Some Technical Questions 12. Remarks on the Interpretation of Selected Piano Works Appendix 1: Reports about the proper Tempo of Pamina's Aria "Ach, ich fühl's…" Appendix 2: An Example of "Basso Continuo" playing in the Concerto K 414

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