Classical Music | Violin Music

Recorded on 01/23/2013, uploaded on 07/08/2013

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Mozart was venturing into new territory with this sonata, giving the violin a collaborative and integral role.  Mozart’s exuberance, humor and grounding in opera are obvious influences here.  The overture-like fanfare at the beginning of the Allegro vivace presents the instruments in unison, which quickly evolves into a conversation, with the violin as the antagonist pulling the music in new directions. The quick and bright trills of the G major theme are underlined by a vocal pitter-patter reminiscent of his comic operas. The Andante sostenuto movement reflects his vocal writing style, and is perhaps reminiscent of a soprano aria in his operas.  In the final Rondo movement, we hear a balanced exchange of ideas between the two instruments.  This highly mercurial movement is a quintessential reflection of the tensions of his operatic dramas finding relief in a final act.        Akiko Kobayashi

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.