Mozart, Violin Concerto in D major, K.211 (Mozartwoche 1999)

Mozart, who was also an accomplished violinist, wrote all of his five violin concertos in Salzburg in 1775, apparently for his own personal use. Their style can best be described as cosmopolitan and reflects the many musical currents he had been exposed to while on his travels in Italy and elsewhere. Aristocratic, suave, witty, wonderfully melodious, they are dazzling gems that conceal an inner core of challenging material that can be truly mastered only by the very best violinists. The Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos was born in Athens in 1967 and, thanks to a fellowship of the Onassis Foundation, attended a master class given by Joseph Gingold at the University of Indiana. He has been invited to take part in many chamber music festivals, and presents his own festival in Athens every year. As proven in this recording, he is also a remarkable conductor. He plays the "Falmouth" Stradivarius of 1692. The former "Camerata academica Salzburg" was renamed simply "Camerata Salzburg" in 2001. It was founded in 1951 by Bernhard Paumgartner, who was its head and mentor for many years. From 1978 to 1997 its artistic director was Sándor Végh and in 1997 Roger Norrington was appointed principal conductor of the ensemble. The Camerata Salzburg can be heard every year at the Salzburg Mozartwoche and Salzburg Festival. Alexander Janiczek, who conducts this concert, comes from Salzburg and has been the concertmaster of the Camerata Salzburg since 1991.