How Mozart Breaks the Rules

 

It is what makes the composer great.

I remember at University learning the standard music forms from the various eras of music history. Once learning the basic rules of form, we would move on to analysis from actual composers.

This is where a student finds out that the general rules of form are created by academics after the fact, while the composers of the time, more often than not, break those rules in some way. It is at this moment when a realization may come to the student, understanding book study and musical inspiration are two very different things.

In these two later violin concertos from Mozart, the unexpected lies here for those interested in formal analysis. For those wanting to focus only on listening, Mozart pours on the beauty in these works regardless of the composer's compositional strayings.

If I over sold the fact that Mozart's Violin Concerto no. 3 (BLOG) shows a dynamic progression beyond the output from his two first violin concertos, Violin Concerto no. 4 has made the move complete. Orchestral interactions with the soloist, more effective harmonic movement and complex textural settings are apparent in these last two violin concertos.

It is the last movement of the Fourth Violin Concerto which inspires my curiosity. Both the middle and final movements indicate a tempo of Andante, where these two movements are usually further contrasted in speed. Only the adjectives cantabile and gracioso demarcate their musical and emotional approach. Mozart then launches into an Allegro in compound meter, and continues to go between these two disparate ideas throughout this concluding movement, which ultimately ends on a quiet, gentle note. Perhaps this is typical of the French Rondeau form, but I find it most curious from Mozart.

To continue this idea, the first movement of Violin Concerto no. 5 slows down into an Adagio tempo at its center. Is this a foretaste of the central movement (?); what an oddity! This is nothing compared to the final movement, giving the work its 'Turkish' subtitle. Here, Mozart sets out with a stately Minuet, again closer to the slower middle movement tempo. At some later point, the composer launches into a stormy Allegro, but settles back into the Minuet at the final moment. What curiosities abound!

Well, I have spent more time poring over the structures of these works than anything else. Suffice to say, Mozart offers well-crafted melodies and charming repartee between orchestra and soloist. Plus, we have the sweet, yet virile violin of David Oistrakh given a fulsome accompaniment from the Berlin Philharmonic.

As extras, three short violin concertante pieces are included, of which, K. 373 was also tracked alongside Oistrakh's traversal of Mozart's first three violin concertos. An odd choice on the part of EMI, but I appreciate the pairings nonetheless. Plus, François Boucher's Shepherd and Shepherdess from 1761 is scattered across the physical media.

I also liked the audio better here compared to the earlier concertos as well, although perhaps it is just that my ears have adjusted. If you like the old-school stylings of Oistrakh and Berlin in Mozart, this is a hit out of the park.

 

Listen on YouTube

 

 

 

 

Works
Violin Concerto 4 in D Major, K. 218 (25.10)
Violin Concerto 5 in A Major 'Turkish', K. 219 (30.24)
Adagio in E Major, K. 261 (8.12)
Rondo Concertante in B-flat Major, K. 269 (6.33)
Rondo in C Major, K. 373 (6.12)

Soloists
David Oistrakh, violin

Performers
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Label: EMI
Year: 1972; 2001
Total Timing: 77.26

 

 

 

 

 

I wish EMI or Warner Classics had bundled up all of David Oistrakh's Mozart violin concertos together.

As it is, Nos. 4 & 5 are the most accomplished from Mozart, given a solid rendering from Oistrakh with the Berlin Philharmonic.

Enjoy Mozart's curiosities and breaking of the rules!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find more Mozart recordings HERE!