Mozart's Piano Trio in C major K548 was written during a period of financial hardship for the composer, as Austria was at war and aristocratic support for the arts had dwindled.
Compositional Technique
In Mozart's early Divertimento, the cello primarily shadows the bass of the piano, similar to a Baroque continuo, with the violin becoming a more equal partner in later movements.
Performer Biography
The Florestan Trio, the performers on this album, received Britain's Royal Philharmonic Society Award for chamber music in 2000, the first time it was given to a piano trio.
Composer Biography
Mozart's letters reveal he once played the violin part of the Divertimento, claiming he played 'as if I were the greatest fiddler in the whole of Europe'.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mozart, more than anyone, awakened the Viennese audience to the expressive possibilities of the piano as both a chamber and concerto instrument.
Composition History
Despite its title, the Divertimento in B flat K254 is considered Mozart's first piano trio, written in Salzburg in 1776.
Instruments
At the time Mozart wrote the Divertimento in B flat K254, the principal keyboard instrument in his household was a two-manual harpsichord, not a piano.
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