Mozart, W.A.: Violin Concertos Nos. 3-5 To

Featuring

Olli Mustonen
Pekka Kuusisto
Tapiola Sinfonietta
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Did you know?

1/7

Performer Biography

Pekka Kuusisto, the violinist on this recording, was the first Finnish winner of the Sibelius Violin Competition in 1995.

Compositional Technique

The last three of Mozart's violin concertos are musically richer and more technically demanding than the first two.

Composer Biography

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was not only a great pianist but also an excellent violinist, serving as Konzertmeister of the Archbishop of Salzburg's court orchestra from 1769-1777.

Instruments

Pekka Kuusisto performs on a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin from 1752, on loan from the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Performer Biography

Olli Mustonen, the conductor, began his studies in piano, harpsichord, and composition at the age of five.

Composition History

Mozart's five violin concertos were composed over a very short period during his Salzburg years, with the first in 1773 and the other four in 1775.

Compositional Technique

The last three concertos share common traits: they are scored for two oboes, two French horns, and strings; they have a sonata-form opening, a noble slow movement in a dominant key, and a sprightly rondo finale.