Serenade No. 12

The Serenade No. 12 for winds in C minor, K. 388/384a, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1782 or 1783. It is an unusual work – Roger Hellyer describes it as flying in the face of convention, 'a curiously sombre and powerful work which often conveys a mood of dramatic intensity'. He draws attention to its constant focus on the minor key, the ingenious canonic devices in the third movement, and the 'dramatically cumulative effect of the marvellous set of variations that form the finale'.