Divertimento No. 1 in D Major

The three delightful divertimenti for strings Mozart composed in 1772 are among his earliest works to have remained in the regular repertoire. Nevertheless, they are also among the many works by the young genius that pose more questions than they solve. Their title, “divertimento”, and their layout on four staves imply performance by a string quartet. The lower staves, though, are labelled “viole” and “bassi” rather than “viola” and “cello”, suggesting performance by multiple strings. In their compact, three-movement format, they’re unlike other divertimenti of the period. And while they’re sometimes known as “Salzburg symphonies”, they’re not really much like the symphonies Mozart was writing at the time. So we’re left not knowing why they were composed, whom they were written for, or how—or even where or when—they were performed. That does nothing, however, to diminish the seemingly effortless, outgoing charm of this trio of works. The Divertimento No. 1 is an ideal demonstration of this. The first violin (or violins) takes the lead, sometimes joined in dialogue by the second(s). The opening movement fizzes with energy, the operatically inspired melody borne along by the driving bassline. The central “Andante” is a tender oasis of calm, while the finale’s humour is undercut by a mock-serious outbreak of knotty fugal writing in the central section. Nothing, though, casts a cloud over Mozart’s infectious relish for the range of sounds he could draw from string instruments.