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.