The Abduction from the Seraglio (Overture)

From the comic opera filled with pirates, Turkish princes, kidnapping and daring rescues, Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio is the piece of music that generated the (possibly fictional) “too many notes” story. It is written in the Turkish “janissary” style, a style of music that fascinated Europe at the time. In this arrangement, the right hand of the piano is frequently written 8va to help recreate the piccolo that figured prominently in the original.