Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, on January 27, 1756, and died in Vienna, Austria, on December 5, 1791. Approximate performance time is thirty-one minutes.

In addition to his prowess as a keyboard artist, Mozart was a highly accomplished violinist. During his early tours of Europe, Mozart astonished audiences with his command of both instruments. Mozart’s father, Leopold, himself a fine violinist, once admonished his son: “(y)ou don’t realize yourself how well you play the violin when you are on your mettle and perform with confidence, spirit, and fire.”

In 1772, the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg appointed the 16-year-old Wolfgang as conductor and concertmaster of the Salzburg Court Orchestra. During the year 1775, Mozart, then 19, authored his five Violin Concertos (it’s possible that the Concerto No. 1 was composed as early as 1773). It is not entirely certain whether Mozart originally composed these Concertos specifically for his own use, or for the Italian violinist, Antonio Brunetti, a prominent Salzburg Court musician. We do know that Mozart played his Violin Concertos at public concerts. Without question, the Concertos were intended to display the technical fluency and pure, singing tone that were hallmarks of Mozart’s instrumental performances.

Mozart completed his Fifth and final Concerto for Violin and Orchestra on December 20, 1775. It is considered the richest and most innovative of Mozart’s Violin Concertos, a testament to his rapid development as a composer. The brilliance of this work makes one regret all the more that, although Mozart lived another sixteen years, the Violin Concerto No. 5 proved to be his last.

The Concerto is in three movements. The first (Allegro aperto), while in traditional sonata form, offers many inventive touches that vary the basic structure. The opening ascending motif, introduced by the first violins, turns out not to be the main theme, but merely its accompaniment! The soloist enters with a reflective Adagio episode before launching into a lively presentation of the principal themes. The brief development journeys into the minor, but the recapitulation and solo cadenza recapture the optimism with which the movement began. The slow-tempo second movement (Adagio), in A—B—A form, is based upon the extended, graceful melody introduced by the first violins and then repeated, to sighing accompaniment, by the soloist. The melancholy central “B” section provides contrast prior to the reprise of the Adagio’s opening portion, the soloist’s cadenza, and the ensemble’s final bars. The finale (Rondeau. Tempo di Menuetto) begins with the soloist’s presentation of the principal theme, cast in the form of an elegant minuet. The theme returns throughout, alternating with spirited, contrasting episodes. Most striking is a lengthy Allegro set in duple meter that makes use of effects associated with Turkish music, popular in Mozart’s day. The “Turkish” Concerto ends with a return to the principal minuet theme, and the simplest but most striking of effects; a series of five ascending notes.

Program notes by Ken Meltzer