W.A. MOZART Violin Concertos Nos. 1, 2 & 5 Julia Fischer Netherlands Chamber Orchestra Yakov Kreizberg Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791) Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat, K.207 1 Allegro moderato 6. 51 2 Adagio 7. 54 3 Presto 5. 31 Violin Concerto No. 2 in D, K.211 4 Allegro moderato 7. 57 5 Andante 7. 23 6 Rondeau (Allegro) 3. 57 Violin Concerto No. 5 in A, K.219 7 Allegro aperto 9. 30 8 Adagio 11. 36 9 Rondeau (Tempo di menuetto) 8. 44 All cadenzas and ornamental entrances by Julia Fischer and Yakov Kreizberg Julia Fischer, violin Gordan Nikolic´, concert master Pieter-Jan Belder, harpsichord (K.207 & K.211) Netherlands Chamber Orchestra conducted by Yakov Kreizberg Recording venue: Doopsgezinde Kerk (Mennonite Church), Haarlem, The Netherlands, (3/2006). Executive Producer: Job Maarse Recording Producer: Job Maarse Balance Engineer: Jean-Marie Geijsen Recording Engineer: Sebastian Stein Editing: Sebastian Stein Total playing time: 69. 46 hroughout the history of music, Mozart’s Violin TConcertos Nos. 1 and 2, K.207 and K.211, have generally been described as the “minor” concertos. Indeed, both as compositions and as far as the treatment of the violin is concerned, they do clearly stand out against the “major” Concertos K.216, K.218 and K.219: however, this is not nec- essarily mirrored in the length of these two works. Rather, one notices in both earlier concertos the distinctive influence of Italian violin virtuosos of the Baroque. In the violin part there are virtuoso semiquaver and even demisemiquaver passages, which are nowhere to be seen in the later concertos. In both cases, the tempo indication of the first movement also includes a “Moderato”, apart from the usual “Allegro”, which gives the basic tempo a rather Baroque-like character. Both the viola and the cello parts are less independent than in the later concertos. After all, the independence of both these instrumental groups in the orchestra is a result of the development in composition techniques during the Classical period, which is expressed in the three later concertos. All these characteristics motivated us to record the Concertos K.207 and K.211 with the accompaniment of a harpsichord. Julia Fischer and Yakov Kreizberg English translation: Fiona J. Stroker-Gale n August 21, 1772, the 16-year- fact writing the concertos as a per- Oold Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart sonal performance vehicle. One of was appointed by the Salzburg Arch- the few surviving letters, in which the bishop Colloredo as leader in his composer mentions a violin concerto, orchestra, with an annual salary of was written in Augsburg in 1777. Dur- 150 florins. During the next few years, ing this journey, Mozart was celebrat- Mozart wrote the majority of his con- ed as a violinist. Among other works, certante works for violin and orches- he performed a violin concerto by his tra, starting with the Violin Concerto colleague Johann Baptist Vanhall: “I in B flat, K.207 (1773) conducted a Sinfonia and the Concertone for Violin Concertos and played Vanhall’s 2 Violins, Oboe, Cello Concerto in B flat on and Orchestra, K.190 by Mozart the violin to general (1774). This was fol- acclaim.” But one of lowed in 1775 by the four other violin his own violin concertos, the so-called concertos (in D, K.211; in G, K.216; in Strassburg Concerto, was also on the D, K.218 and in A, K.219). Somewhat programme: “That night at supper later, in the summer or autumn of I played the Strassburg Concerto; it 1779, he composed the Sinfonia Con- went like clockwork; everyone praised certante for Violin and Viola, K.364. my beautiful, clean tone.” But that Finally, there are three more short is about all Mozart ever wrote about concertante movements, which also his own performance as a violinist. more or less date from this period: The fact that he wrote alternative an Adagio in E, K.261 (1776), a Rondo movements for two concertos dem- in B flat, K.269 (1775-1777) and a onstrates that his violin concertos Rondo in C (1781). were also performed by others than Although at that moment himself (such as his Salzburg col- the violin was clearly league Antonio Brunetti). his instrument, it is not clear whether Mozart was in Galante style und das ist The Violin Concerto in B flat, K.207, das Wahre”, (= is dated April 14, 1773, making it the he plays with dif- earliest solo concerto to appear in the ficulty, but people do catalogue of Mozart’s works. After all, not realize that it is diffi- he did not write his first Piano Concer- cult.. and that is the truth of it). to, K.175, until the December of that After this, the Violin Con- year, and his Serenade K.185 (which certo in D, K.211, which is dated contains concertante movements June 14, 1775, seems almost like a with violin solo) dates from the previ- step backwards. The work radiates an ous August. This date of composition atmosphere of elegant court music, means that Mozart wrote the concert just as we encounter in the sere- a month after he returned from his nades. On the whole, the solo violin is concert travels to Italy. Undoubtedly, accompanied by the high strings, and the impressions he received of the weaves elegant figures around the style of Italian violin virtuosos such as themes presented by the orchestra. Pietro Nardini and Gaetano Pugnani As is fitting with this style, the devel- were at the root of his desire to write opment of the first movement con- his own violin concerto. Thus, both centrates mainly on the harmony, and outer movements of this concert give in general Mozart leaves the themes the soloist the opportunity to carry alone. The slow movement is again out virtuoso acrobatics, whereas the a cantabile, which could easily have middle movement is written in the “escaped” from an opera. A graceful so-called ‘empfindsamer Stil’ (= sen- Rondeau with two episodes ends this sitive style) and is characterised by a concerto. simple cantabile line-play, which was the ultimate for a violinist, according Turkish concerto to Leopold Mozart. Leopold wrote the The three violin concertos com- following of a violinist in the Mannhe- posed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart im orchestra: “Er spielt schwer, aber between October 12 and December man kennt nicht, dass es schwer ist... 20, 1775, were probably planned as (part of) a cycle. This is demonstrated Was it perhaps a case of adolescent not just by the fact that the compo- rebellion against an authoritarian sition dates of these works follow father? Or did Mozart associate the each other so closely, but also by the violin too closely with the oppressive systematic planning of the keys - G Salzburg court or with Archbishop major, D major and A major; or, in Colloredo, who all of a sudden fired other words, the open strings of the the young composer in August 1777? violin. Furthermore, the last move- Perhaps the reason for this was ment of each of the three concertos is far simpler, and the young composer a French Rondeau. Strangely enough, simply fell under the spell of a new it appears that Mozart lost all interest toy: the fortepiano. The letters that in this genre after writing his Concerto Mozart sent home from Augsburg in A. The following year, he was also in November 1777 point in the lat- to write a type of violin concerto in ter direction. Whereas he still writes his Haffner Serenade K.250, but that about his violin playing in the letter was it: Mozart then hung up his vio- quoted above, the other letters he lin. From that moment onwards, the sent from Augsburg provide passion- piano was his preferred instrument. ate reports on the new pianofortes, By the way, this caused his father, built by Johann Andreas Stein, from Leopold, great displeasure. He often which Mozart was able to coax an admonished his son with phrases unprecedented range of expressions. such as: “Du weisst selbst nicht, wie For Mozart, the instrumental solo gut Du Violin spielst...” (= you have no concerto was closely related to the idea how well you play the violin). opera, and this is also the case in these Although on the whole Mozart’s three violin concertos. The Violin Con- letters provide an excellent certo in A, K.219, dates from Decem- insight into his life and ber 20, 1775. The work begins with thoughts, it is completely an orchestral introduction, which acts unclear why he sud- as a kind of operatic overture, after denly lost interest which the curtain rises and the soloist in the violin. presents himself with a dreamy ada- gio passage with new thematic mate- minor and rial. The slow movement, Adagio, is D major share written in E major – a key not so often the galante style encountered in Mozart’s oeuvre – and of the Salzburg ser- achieves an unprecedented profun- enades. Some of these dity in dialogue between the soloist serenades contain a mini- and orchestra. As mentioned, the last ature violin concerto. And we movement is once again a Rondeau know that at least on one occasion in minuet tempo. The middle section one of Mozart’s violin concertos was is a so-called alla turca, in which the performed in combination with a ser- low strings imitate col legno (= with enade. Leopold Mozart writes that the the wood of the bow) the rod-beaten violinist Andrä Kolb performed a so- drum used in the Ottoman Janissary called Finalmusik (one of the longer bands.