Karl Böhm leads the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in this little work written by Mozart in Salzburg in January 1776. What sets this work apart from other serenades is its scoring for two small orchestras, which produces a deliberate echo effect. One can almost imagine the courtly guests bantering amidst the two groups of players at the opposite ends of a grand salon. Although the work begins with a march, called “Marcia maestoso,” it soon gives up all martial pretenses for lightness and grace. The final Rondo is particularly spirited and frisky, wth episodes of a nature that must have made more than one guest stop in mid conversation! Karl Böhm was universally acclaimed for his Mozart interpretations. Though Wagner was one of Böhm’s first loves, his friendship with Richard Strauss led to a deep knowledge and appreciation of Mozart. In his autobiography, Böhm wrote that “Richard Strauss revealed to me the ultimate secrets of this, in my opinion, greatest of all musical geniuses, Mozart.” Böhm’s discovery of these secrets transformed his Mozart interpretations into unforgettable events.
Mozart, Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525
It is hard to believe that Mozart’s serenade “Eine kleine Nachtmusik,” one of his most popular works, is still shrouded in mystery: although it was completed on 10 August 1787, we know neither for what occasion nor for whom it was written. Furthermore, the absence of wind instruments in a serenade is unusual since such works were often given outdoors, where the sound of wind instruments carried better. Finally, the work originally had a second Minuet and Trio, which was torn out of the autographic score – all enigmas that continue to ocupy musiciologists while we bask in the cloudless bliss of this work. Its forceful fanfare opening, lyrical Romanze, stately Minuet set against a bewitching cantilena in the Trio, and fleet-footed finale – all these movements fuse together into one of Mozart’s lightest and friendliest scores. Karl Böhm conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Karl Böhm (1894-1981) was universally acclaimed for his Mozart interpretations. Though Wagner was one of Böhm’s first loves, his friendship with Richard Strauss led to a deep knowledge and appreciation of Mozart. In his autobiography, Böhm wrote that “Richard Strauss revealed to me the ultimate secrets of this, in my opinion, greatest of all musical geniuses, Mozart.” Böhm’s discovery of these secrets transformed his Mozart interpretations into unforgettable events.
Mozart, Menuett, K. 409
Karl Böhm heads the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in this performance of the Minuet K. 409, written in Vienna towards 1782. It was presumably composed for a performance of the Symphony in C major K. 338 in Vienna’s Augarten in May 1782. Let us recall that the autograph of the Symphony K. 338, written in Salzburg, contained only the beginning of a Minuet, which was then crossed out. The more progressive Viennese public preferred four-movement works, which might explain the origin of this Minuet. It is one of Mozart’s most imaginative and beguiling minuets. Karl Böhm was universally acclaimed for his Mozart interpretations. Though Wagner was one of Böhm’s first loves, his friendship with Richard Strauss led to a deep knowledge and appreciation of Mozart. In his autobiography, Böhm wrote that “Richard Strauss revealed to me the ultimate secrets of this, in my opinion, greatest of all musical geniuses, Mozart.” Böhm’s discovery of these secrets transformed his Mozart interpretations into unforgettable events.
Mozart, Bassoon Concerto in B flat major, K.191
Mozart, Violin Concerto No.2 in D major, K. 211
The violin concertos K. 211, 216, 218 and 219 were all composed within a few months, between June and December 1775, while Mozart was in the employ of the Archbishop of Salzburg. The violin concerto No. 2 radiates a distinctly galant atmosphere reminiscent of the French style of violin playing. Dazzling and elegant, it gives the soloist luminous passages such as the minor-key melody in the first movement and the main melody of the Andante. The concluding Rondo again recalls the brilliance of the French style. After having devoted himself to Baroque music for many years, Nikolaus Harnoncourt began turning increasingly to the orchestral works of Mozart in the 1980s. Here, too, Harnoncourt’s views differed radically from those of traditional Mozart reception. For him, Mozart is “the most romantic composer of all”, his music “dramatic, dynamic, often strikingly and exceedingly emotional”. In Gidon Kremer, Harnoncourt found a partner who shared his views. The German-Russian violin virtuoso has also sought his own path in his Mozart interpretations. In 1970 the then 23-year-old virtuoso attained the first peak of his career by winning the first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He has since become one of the most sought-after violinists in the world. It should also be noted that the Vienna Philharmonic, celebrated for its natural and graceful Mozart style, initially opposed Harnoncourt’s unconventional concepts. However, the orchestra was soon won over by the unusual stylistic approach often concertizes with Harnoncourt today.
Mozart, Violin Concerto No.3 in G major, K. 216
The violin concertos K. 211, 216, 218 and 219 were all composed within a few months, between June and December 1775, while Mozart was in the employ of the Archbishop of Salzburg. In his Violin Concerto No. 3 K. 216, Mozart began allocating a more demanding role to the orchestra, striving for the effect of a dialogue between soloist and accompaniment. Without leaving the French-influenced style behind completely, he began to find his own voice in this piece, elaborating it with a breadth and detail that had previously been lacking. Particularly outstanding in this work is the emotionally turbulent development section of the first movement, the lyrical, woodwind-colored theme of the Adagio movement, and the many imaginative intermezzi between the rondo themes of the last movement. After having devoted himself to Baroque music for many years, Nikolaus Harnoncourt began turning increasingly to the orchestral works of Mozart in the 1980s. Here, too, Harnoncourt’s views differed radically from those of traditional Mozart reception. For him, Mozart is “the most romantic composer of all”, his music “dramatic, dynamic, often strikingly and exceedingly emotional”. In Gidon Kremer, Harnoncourt found a partner who shared his views. The German-Russian violin virtuoso has also sought his own path in his Mozart interpretations. In 1970 the then 23-year-old virtuoso attained the first peak of his career by winning the first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He has since become one of the most sought-after violinists in the world. It should also be noted that the Vienna Philharmonic, celebrated for its natural and graceful Mozart style, initially opposed Harnoncourt’s unconventional concepts. However, the orchestra was soon won over by the unusual stylistic approach often concertizes with Harnoncourt today.
Mozart, Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat major, K. 207
Mozart was never taught to play the violin; he just seemed to know how. On his concerto tours throughout Europe, little Wolfgang would play not only the harpsichord, but also the violin, and developed quite a brilliant style in France. He lost interest in the instrument, however, perhaps because he was forced to play it in the orchestra of the Archbishop of Salzburg. Mozart composed his only five violin concertos all in Salzburg in 1775, most probably for his own use. They are a highly personal amalgam of all the styles he had absorbed during his travels. They are a musical reflection of early Classical and Rococo Europe: aristocratic, graceful, humorous and marvelously melodious. The last two concertos, K. 218 and 219, are characterized by finales in a variety of tempos and meters. Particularly notable is K. 219, in which a poetic Adagio episode introduces the soloist in the first movement and a Turkish episode infuses the minuet finale with a rousing spirit. After having devoted himself to Baroque music for many years, Nikolaus Harnoncourt began turning increasingly to the orchestral works of Mozart in the 1980s. Here, too, Harnoncourt’s views differed radically from those of traditional Mozart reception. For him, Mozart is “the most romantic composer of all”, his music “dramatic, dynamic, often strikingly and exceedingly emotional”. In Gidon Kremer, Harnoncourt found a partner who shared his views. The German-Russian violin virtuoso has also sought his own path in his Mozart interpretations. In 1970 the then 23-year-old virtuoso attained the first peak of his career by winning the first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He has since become one of the most sought-after violinists in the world. It should also be noted that the Vienna Philharmonic, celebrated for its natural and graceful Mozart style, initially opposed Harnoncourt’s unconventional concepts. However, the orchestra was soon won over by the unusual stylistic approach often concertizes with Harnoncourt today.
Mozart, Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in E flat major, K. 364
A musician’s musician, an occasional firebrand and a constant paradox – Nikolaus Harnoncourt (born in 1929) is one of the most profound and intriguing conductors of our time. Considered one of the world’s leading specialists of Baroque music, he has long since turned his attention to Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and even to Jacques Offenbach and Johann Strauss. He spent many years as a cellist with the Wiener Symphoniker before founding the “Concentus Musicus Wien” with his wife Alice in 1953. It soon became one of the world’s most respected ensembles specializing in the performance of early music on original instruments. In the 1970s, Harnoncourt joined forces with Jean-Pierre Ponnelle to stage a series of Monteverdi operas at the Zurich Opera House. This universally acclaimed cycle contributed to a renaissance of Monteverdi’s music and set standards for early Baroque performance practice. Harnoncourt later began to turn his attention more and more to the music of Mozart, whom he considers “the most romantic of all composers”. His concept of Mozart’s music ran counter to the prevailing 20th-century views, however. He sees Mozart’s music as “dramatic, dynamic, often directly and highly emotional.” The Vienna Philharmonic, known for its suave and gracious Mozartian interpretations, initially rebelled against Harnoncourt’s unconventional approach. Yet the compellingness of his vision soon came to be accepted and shared by all members of the orchestra.
Mozart, Symphony No.39 in E flat major, K. 183
This is the first work of the famous symphonic triptych (K. 543, K. 550 and K. 551) Mozart composed in the summer of 1788. Although we do not know exactly why he wrote these three masterpieces at that time, it is assumed that they were intended for a series of concerts in Vienna. Despite his waning popularity in Vienna and his desperate financial situation, Mozart succeeded in forgetting his daily concerns and created a masterpiece of good spirits and self-confidence. The stately introduction leads into a graceful, urbane theme that seems to flow without effort. But a highlight of this work is the Trio of the Minuet, a pastoral Ländler for woodwinds that contrasts strikingly with the pounding energy of the Minuet. This concert was recorded in 1982 at the Musikvereinssaal in Vienna with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Leonard Bernstein.
Mozart, Piano Concerto No.17 in G major, K. 453
Throughout his life, Leonard Bernstein had held the music of W.A. Mozart in the highest esteem and particularly enjoyed conducting the piano concertos from the keyboard, playing the solo part himself, as in this recording. In a televised lecture-concert with the New York Philharmonic from Venice’s La Fenice Opera House in 1959, Bernstein played the second and third movements of the Piano Concerto in G major K. 453, which he prefaced with the words: “If I absolutely had to name my all-time favorite piece of music, I think I would vote for the Andante we are to hear now. It is Mozart at the peak of his lyrical powers, combining serenity, melancholy, and tragic intensity in one great lyric improvisation. You will hear the tranquillity of a Schubert Lied, the filigree of a Chopin, the brooding of a Mahler. And I would like you to be aware, particularly, of the beauty of its orchestration. This concerto is orchestrally rather modest, even within the already limited frame of the 18th-century orchestra. For instance, it employs neither trumpets nor drums nor clarinets; and yet, wait till you hear the wonders Mozart produces with three solo woodwinds, blending like three glorious voices in an operatic trio, or the rich pathos he can create with a little inner melody played by the violas. Again, even in his orchestration Mozart has transcended his time. […] And now we emerge from the contemplation and mystery of that almost sacred Andante, into the brilliant light of the Finale. Brilliant – that is the word for this marvelous rococo set of variations. The whole movement is bathed in a glitter that could have come only from the 18th century, from that age of light, lightness, and enlightenment. It is a perfect product of the age of reason – witty, objective, graceful, delicious. And yet, over it all hovers the greater spirit that is Mozart’s – the spirit of compassion, of universal love, even of suffering – spirit that knows no age, that belongs to all the ages.”