Sinfonia Concertante in E‑Flat Major

Between 1778 and 1779, Mozart became increasingly fascinated by the challenge of writing concertos featuring more than one soloist. It was during this period that he composed a brilliant Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra and also began to explore the hybrid genre of the Sinfonia Concertante, which, as its title suggests, combines elements of symphonic and concerto writing. More surprisingly, for someone blessed with such amazing compositional facility, he abandoned two of these projected compositions (for violin, piano and orchestra, and for violin, viola, cello and orchestra), leaving them in a fragmented state. Nonetheless, his efforts were not in vain, for the Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra, which he composed in 1779, achieves a depth of emotion and richness of invention that unquestionably outstrips all his previous concertos involving solo string instruments. Among the most remarkable features of the Sinfonia Concertante is the perfect fusion between the two solo instruments, which share their material equally and assume an almost operatic sense of dialogue with each other. The work opens with a spacious and imposing first-movement “Allegro maestoso”, followed by a profoundly melancholic “Andante” that may well have reflected the composer’s heartfelt sorrow at the recent death of his mother. Yet tears quickly turn to joy in the ensuing “Presto”, one of the most exuberant and upbeat finales in his entire output.