HYBRID MULTICHANNEL Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791) Sinfonia concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in E flat, K. 364 1 Allegro maestoso 12. 32 2 Andante 11. 11 3 Presto 6. 13 Rondo for Violin and Orchestra in C, K. 373 (Cadenza by Julia Fischer) 4 Allegretto grazioso 5. 58 Concertone for 2 Violins and Orchestra in C, K. 190 5 Allegro spiritoso 8. 23 6 Andantino grazioso 10. 41 7 Tempo di menuetto (Vivace) 8. 23 Julia Fischer- violin Gordan Nikolić- violin (K. 190) / viola (K. 364) Hans Meyer- oboe (K. 190) Herre Jan Stegenga- cello (K. 190) Netherlands Chamber Orchestra conducted by: Yakov Kreizberg Total playing-time: 63. 35 Biographien auf Deutsch und Französisch finden Sie auf unserer Webseite. Pour les versions allemande et française des biographies, veuillez consulter notre site. www.pentatonemusic.com Fun for two have come down to us, of which the majority were written between 1770 n August 21, 1772 the Salzburg and 1830. The generally light-hearted Oarchbishop Colloredo appoint- and amusing character of most of ed the 16-year-old Wolfgang Ama- these works is most striking. Mozart deus Mozart as concert master in probably first came into contact with his orchestra, at an annual salary the sinfonia concertante on his trip of 150 gulden. During the following to Paris in 1777/1778: perhaps dur- years, Mozart wrote the majority of ing the journey itself in Mannheim, his concertante works for violin and where mostly concertantes with solo orchestra, beginning with the Vio- wind instruments were being writ- lin Concerto in B flat, K.207 (1773) ten, and otherwise certainly in Paris, and the Concertone for two violins, where Ignaz Pleyel – among others oboe, cello and orchestra, K.190 – was enjoying great success with his (1774). These were followed in 1775 concertantes. If the Sinfonia Concer- by another four violin concertos (in tante K.297b for oboe, clarinet, horn, D, K.211; in G, K.216; in D, K.218; and bassoon and orchestra is indeed by in A, K.219); and a few years later, Mozart, then he must have written during the summer or early autumn this work for his friends in Mannheim. of 1779, he wrote the final work, his However, the authenticity of this work Sinfonia Concertante for violin and is debatable. It has definitely been viola, K.364. established that Mozart began work on a composition for violin, viola and Sinfonia concertante orchestra upon his return to Salzburg, The genre of the sinfonia concer- at a time when he was in fact los- tante – which was usually written as ing interest in the violin. The piano a three-movement work, in which was increasingly gaining ground as a number of soloists enter into a his favourite instrument. Was this dialogue with the orchestra – was Sinfonia Concertante perhaps a com- hugely popular for a short while. mission for a special occasion? This No less than 500 works in this genre seems the obvious conclusion, as a fragment of 134 bars has also come the viola part is written in D, the instru- down to us, from the first movement mentalist needs to tune his instru- of another Sinfonia Concertante in A, ment half a tone higher (scordatura), for violin, viola, cello and orchestra. producing a more transparent sound, Thus the Sinfonia Concertante in which mixes better with that of the E flat is Mozart’s only authentic con- violin. It also means that the violist is tribution to this genre. And what a able to make use of more open strings, contribution it is! Alas, we remain which almost automatically lifts the largely in the dark with regard to sound above that of the orchestra. the background of this masterpiece. A remarkable feature is that Mozart does not mention it in his let- Mozart regularly employs a serious ters; there are no other documents tone in the work, which is contrary referring to this work; and what to the light-hearted character of the remains of the manuscript is incom- genre. Compared to the five violin plete and also contains parts of vari- concertos written four years previ- ous ‘previous versions’ of the work. ously, this work is far more mature. Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante Then again, a lot had happened dur- forms a lonely highlight in the genre. ing those four years. Mozart’s journey The work is of symphonic dimensions, to Paris had ended in disappoint- yet is also a full-blooded double con- ment; furthermore, he had lost his certo. As in his violin concertos, here mother in the French capital; then Mozart treats both solo strings like he had fallen head over heels for singers in a scene from an opera. The Aloysia Weber, who unfortunately slow movement, especially, could eas- did not reciprocate his feelings. On ily be a duet from one of his operas. his way home, he wrote as follows Furthermore, the Sinfonia Concer- to his father: “Ich habe ein gar zu tante is the only concerto composed empfindsames Herz” (= my heart is by Mozart for the viola, the instru- far too sensitive), a line which could ment he himself loved to play. His have come straight from Goethe’s vast understanding of the instrument book “Das Leiden des jungen Wer- is apparent from the key he chose: as thers”. Although Mozart probably had not read this novel, written five the Sinfonia Concertante: the Concer- years previously, it is tempting to tone for two violins, oboe, cello and recognize a similar melancholy and orchestra. In the development of the ‘Empfindsamkeit’ in the slow move- concertante forms, the concertone is ment of the Sinfonia Concertante. ranked in between the concerto gros- The soloists sing a duet against the so and the sinfonia concertante. The background of an obscure-sounding genre was mainly intended as light orchestra (with divided violas). At entertainment, and the soloists are times they comment on each others’ not expected to perform any virtuoso words, at others they sing together antics. In Austria and in the north of in consonant intervals. During the Italy, the concertone flourished for a third movement, all melancholy dis- short period, but apart from Mozart’s appears as if by magic. In this work compositions, few other concertones too, Mozart avoids the minor key. At have come down to us. However, a certain moment, when the music Leopold Mozart used the title ‘con- threatens to change to the key of C certone’ when referring to certain minor, he suddenly breaks off and compositions by Mozart’s colleague, shamelessly permits the viola to con- Josef Myslivecek. It is interesting tinue in the key of A flat. Instead that the manuscript of the Concer- of a cadenza, this movement ends tone is part of a collection of three with a passage in which each solo- bundles of manuscripts which were ist shoots up, in turn, like a rocket compiled by Leopold Mozart, and to the highest register: an effect that came into the possession of the pub- Haydn was to imitate in his own Sin- lisher August Cranz via Schubert’s fonia Concertante dating from 1792. friend Leopold von Sonnleithner, among others. Apparently, Leopold Concertone Mozart compiled the three bundles The trunk which Mozart took with according to genre. The first part him on his journey to Mannheim and contains the great Serenade K.185 Paris probably also contained anoth- with the corresponding March K.189. er work, which is closely related to The third part contains nine sym- phonies, written between April 1773 ed the work to be an independent and April 1774. In the second part concert rondo. Brunetti played the we encounter three serenades (K. composition on April 8, 1781 dur- 203, K.204 and K.250), as well as the ing an Academy in the residence Concertone. Leopold Mozart prob- of Prince Rudolph Joseph Colloredo, ably considered the genre of the the father of the Salzburg archbishop concertone to be an extension of the who gave Mozart such a hard time. great serenades: after all, these also contain a number of movements with Ronald Vermeulen one or more instrumental soloists. English translation: Fiona J. Stroker-Gale It is not inconceivable that Mozart performed the Concertone in Man- nheim or Paris: after all, he had writ- Zu zweit vergnügt ten this earlier in 1774, i.e. directly after his first violin concerto. How- m 21. August 1772 stellt der Salz- ever, as in the case of the Sinfo- Aburger Erzbischof Colloredo den nia Concertante, there are no known sechzehnjährigen Wolfgang Amade- documents that can provide any us Mozart als Konzertmeister ein. further information in this respect. Das Jahresgehalt beträgt 150 Gul- den. In den folgenden Jahren kompo- Rondo niert Mozart den Löwenanteil seiner The fact that Mozart wrote alternative konzertanten Werke für Violine und movements for two concerts proves Orchester: 1773 entsteht das Violin- that his violin concertos were per- konzert B-Dur KV 207, im Jahr darauf formed not only by himself, but also das Concertone C-Dur KV 190 für by others (for instance, by his Salz- 2 Violinen, Oboe, Violoncello und burg colleague, Antonio Brunetti). Orchester. Die anderen vier Violin- There is nothing to relate the Rondo konzerte stammen aus dem Jahr in C, K.373 with one of Mozart’s 1775: D-Dur KV 211, G-Dur KV 216, own violin concertos; therefore, it is D-Dur KV 218 und A-Dur KV 219. more probable that Mozart intend- Den Abschluss dieser Werkreihe bil- det schließlich mit einigem zeitlichen lich. Belegt ist nur, dass Mozart nach Abstand die Sinfonia concertante Es- seiner Rückkehr in Salzburg an einem Dur KV 364 für Violine und Viola, die Stück für Violine, Viola und Orches- im Sommer oder frühen Herbst 1779 ter arbeitete und zwar exakt zu dem entstand.