Sinfonia Concertante in Eb Major for violin and viola, K. 364
Program Notes by Martin Pearlman
In the two-year period 1778-79, following his return home from a tour that included visits to Paris and Mannheim, Mozart worked on a series of concertos for multiple soloists. In both Paris and Mannheim, the multiple concerto, or sinfonia concertante, was extremely popular, and Mozart was greatly influenced by what he heard. His ouput in those years included not only the present work for violin and viola, but a sinfonia concertante for four wind instruments, the concerto for flute and harp, the concerto for two pianos, as well as two incomplete concertos--one for piano and violin and one for violin, viola and cello. Numerous details in this Sinfonia Concertante show the influence of his experiences on his tour. The dotted rhythm of the opening bars, as well as the orchestral crescendo at the end of the introduction, to name just two, were both common features of music at Mannheim.
Only fragments of this concerto for violin and viola survive in Mozart's hand. We know the work today principally from the first edition, which appeared ten years after his death, but the manuscript fragments do tell us that the cadenzas are Mozart's own.
One fascinating feature of this work is the way that Mozart balances the bright sound of the violin with the darker sound of the viola. He has the solo viola tune a half step higher than normal, so that, while everyone else is playing the piece in its true key, Eb major, the viola soloist is reading and fingering the piece in D major. The effect is to make the viola sound more brilliant, both because of the increased tension on its strings and because, unlike the violin, its open strings are resonating in the key of the piece. Although the work is often played today with a viola in the conventional tuning, Mozart's higher tuning can create a unique and fascinating balance between the two solo instruments.
Boston Baroque Performances
Sinfonia Concertante in Eb Major for violin and viola, K. 364
March 25 & 26, 2023
Calderwood Studio at GBH, Boston, MA
NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
Martin Pearlman, conductor
Soloists:
Christina Day Martinson, violin
Jason Fisher, viola
April 24, 1998
NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
Martin Pearlman, conductor
Soloists:
Stephanie Chase, violin
Marilyn McDonald, viola
October 19, 1984
NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
Martin Pearlman, conductor
Soloists:
Daniel Stepner, violin
Marcus Thompson, viola