K. 320d Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra in E flat

K. 320d Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra in E flat.

We had a power outage in our area, so I missed a couple of days of writing…  

The third movement of this piece seems to following me wherever I go.  I have gathered a few compilations CD’s, the third movement bumps right after songs that I find particularly powerful.  Thus, I have heard it numerous times. And fatefully, the entire work happened to be played at the first Mozart concert I attended.

The third movement is a pretty piece that gets stuck in my head easily.  (Unfortunately, easier than first and second movements.)  But, I’ve never really been moved by it, although I know it quite well.    The violin and viola frolic with each as if racing through a meadow.  Violin runs.  Viola catches.  The orchestra lounges on a hill and cheers.  All have surrendered to their fate and have decided to simply enjoy their surroundings.

But, what have they surrendered to?  A reference to the first and second movement. The first sings with and air of fearful, yet hopeful, anticipation.  The Violin and Viola lament together in the second movement, asking: ‘why?’  ‘How did things end up this way?’  Never, finding a satisfactory answer.   The orchestra’s attempts at comfort are largely ineffective.  I am compelled by the fact that, in the other two movements, the orchestra seems to be a more dominant voice, where as it cowers in the second.  Do either the violin or viola represent Mozart, and the orchestra, the Salzburgers?  Maybe a stretch. 

The interesting fact about the Sinfonia Concertante is that the style was a new fangled thing back then.  Mozart experienced it on the very journey in which his mother died.  And like many fads, the style did not last long.  But what made Mozart venture here?  With his mother dead and now forced to stay in Salzburg, Mozart’s dreams eroded.  Salzburg loved the Violin Concertos (I agree with Salzburg), but they were less receptive to piano solo and chamber music.  And, they had limited opera venues (even the ones they had had were closed).  After his five violin concertos, Mozart did limited violin pieces.  Mozart hated being stuck in Salzburg. I could imagine his fellow citizens nagging him, ‘when are you going to do another violin concerto?’  Add, his father’s strains ‘you need to focus on popular music,’ and you have a man soured from a genre he once loved.  How long could he stave off demands for a grand violin piece?  Moreover, critics may have told him, he needed to focus, specialize in one style (of course, they made strong suggestions of where to focus). His Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola may have been his compromise.  A new style.  Something not forced upon him.  Yet, a double violin concerto, if you will.  And, I’ll bet the third movement was Salzburg's favorite. 

Interestingly, this Sinfonia Concertante was the only one he did for the Violin.  Even the only other piece in the Sinfonia Concertante style is of debatable authenticity.   I wonder why no others followed.  Was he disgusted at prostituting himself out to the popular Salzburgers?  Was he trying to stick it to the city essentially saying, ‘here’s what I could do, but I’m not going to give you any more’?  Or, (to be a little less conspiracy theorist) did he prefect the style with this work, and simply want to move on?  Was it something he tried, but didn’t particularly care for?  Either way, one fact is sure, with his genius, Mozart could make even the faddist, legendary.