Hoffmeister, Stamitz & Mozart: Classical Viola Concertos

Featuring

Máté Szűcs
Anima Musicæ Kamarazenekar
Franz Anton Hoffmeister
Carl Stamitz
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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Compositional Technique

Carl Philipp Stamitz's Viola Concerto in D major features advanced techniques for its time, including polyphonic chordal writing, harmonics, and left-hand pizzicato.

Critical Reception

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's contemporary, Leopold Mozart, advised his son to meet Carl Philipp Stamitz in Paris, viewing him as a valuable professional contact.

Composition History

Mozart's Concerto in A major, K. 622, was originally composed for Anton Stadler, a clarinettist and master of the basset horn, and was one of Mozart's last completed compositions.

Composer Biography

Carl Philipp Stamitz, another composer on this album, was a violin virtuoso and a scion of a musical dynasty from Mannheim, a city that significantly influenced European music.

Cultural Impact

Franz Anton Hoffmeister founded one of Vienna's first music publishing houses in 1785, which published works by prominent composers like Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.

Composer Biography

Franz Anton Hoffmeister, one of the composers on this album, initially went to Vienna to study law but was captivated by the city's music scene and chose a career in music instead.

Interpretation

The viola transcription of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, K. 622, allows for low runs and passages without the octave leaps that the clarinet version traditionally required.