Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Overture To the Abduction

In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was common for works that were originally intended for different instruments to be published as piano scores. The piano arrangements were used on the one hand for performances in private circles and on the other for study (as full scores remained the exception). Mozart wrote such piano arrangements for some of his own works, including the overture to The Abduction from the Seraglio. It is issued here as a single piece, combined with the final Capriccio from the Four Preludes (K.395), a tonally perfect half cadence to round off the overture, which ends on the dominant.