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I realize that Mozart is not considered by most (?) people to be 'profound', at least not on the level of Beethoven, for example (late sonatas, anyone?). But what do you consider to be his most profoundly moving compositions?

Don Giovanni

I don't consider any of his solo piano works profound. But then, I haven't heard them all. I do consider his Piano Concerto No. 27 in B flat major profound. More generally, I think I'm far from alone in considering his Jupiter Symphony (41) and his opera Don Giovanni to be profound works.

Hmmmm, a near simultaneous posting by plays88keys seems to bear out my statement. But there's really no surprise there since many consider Don Giovanni to be his overall best work.

Piano Concerto 19, 23
Requiem

I agree precisely with iamcanadian; I was scrolling down, prepared to type in what he said, and then was surprised to find that it had already been said! Hmmm this is a little unnerving. If I had to choose one out of them, however, I'd say the Requiem is the most profound.

Mozart is probably best known and remembered in two genres - opera and piano concerti. Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute stand out in my mind, as do the concerti written during Mozart's later years in Vienna (K numbers in the mid-to-late 400's, etc...)

That being said, many of his other works are masterfully written. The late symphonies, some of the chamber music - dissonant quartet, g minor piano quartet, etc...

But probably the most profound thing about Mozart isn't the content of individual works but rather the sheer artistic force and energy of a man who had greater facility with musical ideas than almost anyone before or since.

mozart not profound?!? i'm speechless.....

of course the requiem immediately springs to mind. and all the operas have the very profound theme of love. they are touching and heartbreaking even as they can be light and silly.

in fact, i think everything about mozart was about love.

as for his solo piano works--they are also operas!

and what could be more profound than a simple melody which takes infinitely complex skills to execute correctly? mozart is a very deceptive composer in that way.

sometimes (apparent) simplicity is the most profound thing of all.

There seem to be at least two kind of depth :
visible, glittering depth : Rach is the king of this one
subtle,inner depth : Bach,Schubert or Debussy come to mind.

IMHO Mozart has both. He will never be rivalled.

Depth :

Concerto for clarinet (those who have seen Godard's A bout de souffle will remember the tragic end)
Masonic funeral music (Pier Paolo Pasolini's Matthew Gospel : the crucifixion.). Mozart was a mason of course.
The Magic flute (a masonic singspiel)
Adagio of the 23rd piano concerto

Any of his piano sonatas, if we have the depth to meet Mozart's depth and genius

The extraordinary quintet with clarinet. Pure grace : happiness, tenderness and sadness of incompleteness (my own tentative echoes)

The end of don Giovanni : he goes deep in heck. It is more depth of the first kind as compared with "O Isis und Osiris" of the Magic flute

The Requiem and of course the great Mass in C minor.

Piano Concerto K 466 (D minor).

I think the CD mass production has been both a good thing and a bad thing.

The inner quality of music seems less of a need that the thrill.

Stop speaking like an old fool.

I am an old fool.

You won't find anything more profound than Mozart.

The requiem tops my list.

Mozart > Beethoven
And that's about the only ranking of composers I'd indulge in

Thanks for the lists so far. I think that Mozart can appear 'boring' or almost schizophrenic on the surface (I hate that interpretation of him), but I believe there is much subtlty to his music deep under the surface, which can be profoundly tragic, even ironic and mocking at the same time, etc.

Variations in A minor for piano. Few concert pianists managed to play this right.

To me "visible" and especially "glittering" often means lack of depth. And I would not rate Rachmaninoff high on depth compared to the greatest composers.

I don't know this work. What is the K numbers? Or did you perhaps mean the a minor Rondo?

And to add to the list of Mozart's profound works for piano, try the Adagio in b minor.

the excellent sonata in C minor!

the adagio of the piano concerto no.9

My apology!

I meant Rondo in A minor, K.511

Try some of these

Clarinet Quintet
Romanza from Piano Concerto #20
Slow Movement from Flute and Harp Concerto
Fantasy K 397
Ave Verum Corpus
Both g minor Symphonies #25 and #40
Piano Sonata K 310 (written right after his mothers death, it cries)
Symphonia Concertante K 364 (as near to a perfect piece of music as has ever been written)


Anybody that thinks Mozart is not profound does not know Mozart.


Steve

The Requiem would also be high on my list. His last few symphonies, from 35 on, also have a deep affect on me. The earlier symphonies are also fantastic, but for different reasons.

benedict,
stop doing that!!