Post by erik on Jan 15, 2022 13:31:30 GMT -5
The second of W.A. Mozart's five violin concertos is in this week's Classical Works Spotlight.
Mozart: VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 2 IN D MAJOR, K. 211
The short life that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart led, which was just a little less than thirty-six years, was nevertheless transformational in ways the world is still grappling with, even in the 21st century. As the child prodigy to end all child prodigies in Western classical music, Mozart excelled in every single discipline, from operas to symphonies to sacred/choral music. Particularly appealing to his abilities was the instrumental concerto form. But while he was very much a virtuoso on the piano, he also excelled on viola, and violin. For the latter instrument, during the single year of 1775, he managed to compose five concertos, all of which were intended for his own use. The second concerto, like the other five, is scored for a typical orchestra of Mozart’s day, with a sizeable string contingent, and pairs of woodwinds and horns. While it doesn’t seem as difficult to play as what would follow in the hands of Beethoven or Brahms, in Mozart’s time, the concerto doesn’t exactly allow the soloist to rest either—which is likely why Mozart wrote something challenging; even in the eyes of his father Leopold, it was seen as a bit much. Mozart’s good friend and fellow composer Franz Joseph Haydn, however, declared it to be yet another example of his younger contemporary’s great musical genius.
Violin: CHO-LIANG LIN
English Chamber Orchestra/RAYMOND LEPPARD (CBS)
Included:
RONDO IN C MAJOR, K. 373
VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR (OF DUBIOUS ORIGIN), K. 271-A
Mozart: VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 2 IN D MAJOR, K. 211
The short life that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart led, which was just a little less than thirty-six years, was nevertheless transformational in ways the world is still grappling with, even in the 21st century. As the child prodigy to end all child prodigies in Western classical music, Mozart excelled in every single discipline, from operas to symphonies to sacred/choral music. Particularly appealing to his abilities was the instrumental concerto form. But while he was very much a virtuoso on the piano, he also excelled on viola, and violin. For the latter instrument, during the single year of 1775, he managed to compose five concertos, all of which were intended for his own use. The second concerto, like the other five, is scored for a typical orchestra of Mozart’s day, with a sizeable string contingent, and pairs of woodwinds and horns. While it doesn’t seem as difficult to play as what would follow in the hands of Beethoven or Brahms, in Mozart’s time, the concerto doesn’t exactly allow the soloist to rest either—which is likely why Mozart wrote something challenging; even in the eyes of his father Leopold, it was seen as a bit much. Mozart’s good friend and fellow composer Franz Joseph Haydn, however, declared it to be yet another example of his younger contemporary’s great musical genius.
Violin: CHO-LIANG LIN
English Chamber Orchestra/RAYMOND LEPPARD (CBS)
Included:
RONDO IN C MAJOR, K. 373
VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR (OF DUBIOUS ORIGIN), K. 271-A