The String Quintet in C, K.515, is constructed in C major, the simplest code in Western music, recalling Mozart's 'Dissonance' Quartet and foreshadowing Beethoven's 'Razumovsky' Quartet Op.59 No.3.
Composition History
Mozart composed his String Quintet in G minor, K.516, in the spring of 1787, while tormented by his father's faltering health.
Compositional Technique
Mozart's String Quintet in G minor, K.516, shares melodic motifs and harmonic formulas with Pamina's aria 'Ach, ich fühl's' from The Magic Flute, both expressing despair.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mozart often paired works of opposing and complementary natures, creating 'tragicomic diptychs' like the two quintets on this album, or his final two symphonies.
Performer Biography
Quatuor Ébène, the string quartet performing on this album, met their future collaborator Antoine Tamestit, a young viola maestro, at the 2004 ARD International Music Competition in Munich.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Unlike Haydn, who resolves minor keys in joy, Mozart often 'minorises' themes, even in instrumental music, to evoke death or the Requiem.
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