Here, for the first time in modern edition, is the second in our series of Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s superb arrangements of seven of Mozart’s piano concertos, the Concerto in B flat, K456. Any performer of Mozart’s piano concertos must have wondered how the sparsely notated sections would have been realized at the time, and no one is better placed to provide an answer than the composer’s own pupil. Even though Mozart had written a complete set of cadenzas for this work, those composed independently by Hummel, and also his added lead-ins (Eingänge), seem at least to have been inspired by his teacher’s models, providing indispensable insights into the performance practice related to this repertory. These scores create a unique opportunity for today’s pianists, and students, to perform Mozart’s masterpieces with just a handful of friends or colleagues rather than with full orchestra, or even to play them as solo works in their own right.

We are grateful to Hochschule der Künste Bern for sponsoring these editions.