# Which are the five greatest works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in your opinion?



## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

The works are ordered more or less chronologically. Define "greatest" as you wish. If you choose _Other(s)_, please tell us here in the comments section which work(s) you had in mind.

You may change your vote later.

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Top ten most voted works that belong to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's five greatest according to the poll at the moment (in case of tie, later work gets priority in the ordering):

1. Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter", K. 551 (26 votes)
2. Piano Concerto No. 20, K. 466 (25 votes)
3. Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492 (23 votes)
4. Symphony No. 40, K. 550 (22 votes)
5. Don Giovanni, K. 527 (19 votes)
6. Requiem, K. 626 (16 votes)
7. Piano Concerto No. 24, K. 491 (16 votes)
8. Sinfonia Concertante, K. 364/320d (14 votes)
9. Die Zauberflöte, K. 620 (12 votes)
10. Clarinet Concerto, K. 622 (11 votes)

Total votes at the moment: 51.

Last update: 11/10/2022.


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## ansfelden (Jan 11, 2022)

Kegelstatt Trio, Horn concerti (2 and 3?)


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## Waehnen (Oct 31, 2021)

My choices were symphonies 40 and 41, two String Quintets and one Clarinet Quintet.

Of course I love the late Piano Concertos and many other works too, but those 5 I chose... Very Mozartian indeed. Even just the balance and sound of the instrumental and orchestral writing is just SO GOOD.


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## ansfelden (Jan 11, 2022)

the late piano concertos would be a natural choice too of course - wonderful interpretations by Clifford Curzon.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I voted for the Requiem, Great Mass, Clarinet Quintet, P. C. 24, and Magic Flute. If P. C. 17 was on the list, I would have cut P. C. 24.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I voted for the four last operas and the clarinet quintet.


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

In looking at the choices I realize that I would be happy with selecting any 5 with the exception of Idomeneo, Serenade No. 13, and String Quartet No. 23. I love those three works, but they would fall short of the others. I'll go with:

Piano Concerto No. 20, K. 466
Symphony No. 40, K. 550
Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter", K. 551
Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492
Don Giovanni, K. 527


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Mozart has exactly five works in my list of top favourites (6/6 on the Artrockometer), and they are all in the poll, so that was easy.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Don Giovanni K 527
Symphony 38 K 504
String Quintet K 516
Divertimento K 334
Sinfonia Concertante K 364


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

I chose Piano Concerto no. 24, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte, the Clarinet Concerto, and Die Zauberflote.

I could have also chosen the Clarinet Quintet, Le nozze di Figaro, or any of the other piano concertos.

Edit: I don't like opera much in general, but I made the effort with Mozart and Monteverdi.


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## Waehnen (Oct 31, 2021)

Inspired by this thread I listened to the 20th Piano Concerto. Gulda/Abbado for DG. Just wonderful! I will change one of the quintets for this concerto.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

mmsbls said:


> In looking at the choices I realize that I would be happy with selecting any 5 with the exception of Idomeneo, Serenade No. 13, and String Quartet No. 23. I love those three works, but they would fall short of the others. I'll go with:
> 
> Piano Concerto No. 20, K. 466
> Symphony No. 40, K. 550
> ...


Same as mine except I have the Requiem in place of Le Nozze


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Bulldog said:


> I voted for the Requiem, Great Mass, Clarinet Quintet, P. C. 24, and Magic Flute. If P. C. 17 was on the list, I would have cut P. C. 24.


Please, feel free to select _Other(s)_ if you still want to give that vote to Piano Concerto No. 17. TC polls can't have more than 25 options, so I have to try to select some of the most representative works of each composer in exercises such as this one, at the cost of letting out important pieces.


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## Marc (Jun 15, 2007)

All the compositions in this list are true masterpieces imho.
But I think that Mozart is first and foremost an opera composer par excellence, and that composing operas was his greatest joy.
(At smug moments like this, I consider myself a certified 'Mozart psychologist'. )

So... the 3 Da Ponte operas and 'Die Zauberflöte' would already make a worthy Top 4.

Of course, Mozart is also the master of the (forte)piano.
And, as is shown for instance in his piano concertos, he also has a great sense of composing beautiful melodies/lines/motives for wind instruments.

That's why my 5th pick is the E-Flat Quintet for (forte)piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon, KV 452. (Not in the list.)

(But it's hard to leave out f.i. the String Quinet in G-minor KV 516.)

Other pieces that I dearly love, are not in the list and deserve a mention imho (I will only name the KV numbers, otherwise it's gonna be a novel):
KV 183
KV 201
KV 271
KV 304
KV 310
KV 331
KV 334
KV 338
KV 339
KV 341
KV 345
KV 361
KV 388
KV 421
KV 454
KV 457
KV 475
KV 477
KV 478
KV 493
KV 515
KV 519
KV 533/494
KV 563
KV 596
KV 608

Of course, I've forgotten more than a handful (or two/three/four)...


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## MusicInTheAir (Apr 21, 2007)

Impossible to name just five. Piano Concerto No. 17 and Symphony 39 should've been on the list. People don't think a lot of his piano sonatas, but K.310, K. 300, K331, K332, K, 333, K. 475 and K. 570 are very fine pieces. Speaking of which the K. 457 c minor fantasy is pretty darn good too.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

I plan to keep making these threads on famous composers to see which works the TC community perceive as being their greatest. If you had missed them, there were also a poll on Beethoven (link here) and a poll on J.S. Bach (link here) already. After some days of voting, I will always make a list of the ten most selected options in the first post of the thread.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

*Don Giovanni*, *Mass in C minor,* *Clarinet concerto*, *Piano Concerto No. 21*, and the greatest *Bassoon Concerto* of them all. All five piece are in the top rung of any of their type from any composer.


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## Scherzi Cat (8 mo ago)

I added the Gran Partita Serenade for winds.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Y'know, I've never heard any *Mozart* I DIDN'T like, and his catalog has so many great works. And I'm still not familiar with all of them.

I find it interesting that his opera overtures are pretty much stand-alone works, with no musical ties to the rest of the opera, with the possible exception of setting a mood; but generally nothing musically in common. And they're all brilliant. 

And, damn, he wrote 22 operas. I'm not even sure that my previous paragraph is correct. 

For the operas, *Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute*, and the *Cosi fan tutti* all stand out for me. But other more learned Mozart opera experts seem to be quite impressed with *Idomeneo, The Marriage of Figaro*, and *La Clemenza di Tito* (which I've never heard).

I dunno, the *Jupiter symphony, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik*, the *4th Horn Concerto*, several of his *piano concertos*, the *Requiem* . . . man the list of "best of Mozart" is just crazy great stuff.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

pianozach said:


> he wrote 22 operas.


Quite a number of them are collaborative works (works he wrote in collaboration with other composers), incidental music (such as K.345), miniature works (such as K.486).


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

I don't do "greatest" and "in my opinion" together, but my 5 favorites are: 

-- Don Giovanni 
-- Requiem 
-- Symphony #40 
-- Piano Concerto #20
-- Piano Concerto #21


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

Just sticking to chamber music

clarinet quintet
1st Piano quartet
the Eb Haydn SQ
C major string quintet
F major sonata for violin & piano K377


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