Steven Dann, the violist, alternates between an early 19th-century viola from the Gagliano family and a viola commissioned from Joseph Curtin in 2019.
Composition History
Haydn's Op. 77 string quartets and Mozart's K. 614 string quintet are late works, conceived near the end of each composer's creative life.
Historical Context
Haydn's Op. 77 quartets were dedicated to Prince Franz Joseph Maximilian Lobkowitz, who also received the dedication for Beethoven's first six quartets, Op. 18.
Performer Biography
The Rosebud String Quartet was formed in 2013 at the inaugural Rosebud Chamber Music Festival and is comprised of principal players from the Edmonton Symphony and the Canadian Opera Company and National Ballet of Canada orchestras.
Performer Biography
Steven Dann, the guest violist on this recording, was principal violist for several major orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Compositional Technique
Mozart's decision to include two violas in his string quintets, an instrument he enjoyed playing, gives special focus to the middle register of the ensemble.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Haydn scholar H. C. Robbins Landon argues that Haydn stopped composing string quartets, piano concerti, and operas because a talented younger colleague, Mozart, began publishing similar works.
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