Not Urtext, but handy all-in-one for happy hours of playing

The editing in this edition is not perfect; but in some cases there is some useful written-out appogiaturas (the ornaments that are usually indicated by symbols in the music.) If you are not familiar with how an inverted mordant should be played or the conventions of trills, the editing will do you until you listen to enough Mozart recordings of the great pianists and learn the Baroque and Classical conventions of ornamentation.

This is one of those books that you could take with you and the piano to a desert island and have enough music to learn and enjoy for years.

Good playing edition but heavily edited

Pianists beware: the sonatas/fantasies in this book are reprints of the old Breitkopf & Härtel edition, which is not a very "faithful" or "authentic" printing of Mozart's works. Certain markings, like long phrase slurs and use of the word legato, are very un-Mozartean: they are clearly the work of the editor. Other edits, like appogiaturas written as regular notation, and certain post-trill ornaments, may also cause concern among Mozart purists.

Despite these alterations, this edition -- like all other Dover piano books -- is excellent for playing. Once you open out the pages and press them into place, they won't drift back. The notation is printed clearly; the only sonata with readability issues is the 9th in D major. The inclusion of two "new" Sonatas (which did not appear in older editions) is an interesting surprise, but not necessarily a good or bad one.

If you really can't stand to see Wolfgang's work altered by editors, then avoid this book and buy an Urtext edition instead. If, on the other hand, you simply want to play some melodious, intermediate piano music, then go ahead and buy this book -- it's the cheapest one out there. However, you would be well advised to check out an urtext version just to see where the editing changes are.

complete sonatas and fantasies for solo piano

complete sonatas and fantasies for piano solo