Mozart, Violin Concerto No.4 in D major, K. 218

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. K. 218 opens with a long orchestral introduction after which the soloist introduces new themes that are developed with virtuoso elements such as trills, arpeggios and pizzicati. The Andante cantabile stands out for its poetic and intensely lyrical violin melodies. The final movement is an imaginative fusion of rondo and sonata first-movement form. The entire work dazzles with its bravura writing that makes it so believed among soloists. 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.