Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was initially associated with keyboard instruments, but his father, Leopold Mozart, ensured he also developed skills in playing string instruments.
Compositional Technique
Mozart's violin concertos represent a shift from the Baroque concerto genre to a Classicist design, relying on sonata form and featuring double expositions in the opening movements.
Composer Biography
By 1775, the violin had become Mozart's primary instrument, as he had been appointed concertmaster of the Salzburg archbishop's orchestra in August 1772.
Interpretation
This recording by Capella Savaria on period instruments aims for authenticity, with the soloist, Zsolt Kalló, composing or improvising the cadenzas.
Performer Biography
Nicholas McGegan, the conductor, has worked with Capella Savaria for 30 years, recording over a dozen CDs and conducting their opera and passion series.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mozart's violin pieces require highly refined technique but compel the performer to give a genuine interpretation of individual characters rather than a virtuosic show-piece.
Composition History
Mozart composed all his violin concertos in a single year, between June and December of 1775, while in Salzburg.
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