JAVS Fall 2008

P OWER -P LAYS IN M OZART ’ S S INFONIA C ONCERTANTE : A Q UESTION OF P HILOSOPHIES ON THE G ENRE

by Andrew Filmer Winner of the 2008 Dalton Research Competition For performers of classical music, there is rarely a question of democ racy within the ranks; it seldom exists. In large orchestras the con ductor directs the performance, in smaller chamber orchestras the con certmaster takes charge, while in most string quartets a primarius is appointed. When a soloist takes the stage, the orchestra’s role—and thus that of the conductor as its leader— is to follow and support. Rarely do power-plays change these relation ships, cemented over centuries-old performance traditions. It is in this context that Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra, K. 364 poses unique uncertainties of how this leadership hierarchy functions. The sinfonia concertante genre flour ished and dissipated in the short span of sixty years, and few of the works are performed today. Historically, the power-plays in the genre were not between soloists and conductor, but rather between com poser and patron. Barry Brook observed that the sinfonia concer tante genre was an instrument of freedom from the reliance on a sole employer: “By the 1770's, any com

these power-plays can flow. The fol lowing discussion into the range of perspectives and interpretations includes a look at several recordings and addresses choices performers make when dealing with what Ronald Woodley terms “treacher ous” genre classifications, 4 when in power-plays of their own.

poser could, if he desired, free him self from the constraints of patron age and appeal to ‘an anonymous community of audiences.’” 1 The sinfonia concertante in the late eighteenth century was able to cre ate new audiences because of its ability to grandstand: “The sym phonie concertante was specifically tailored for this milieu. Its com posers consciously wooed the con cert-going public by writing the most melodious, scintillating, and instrumentally-varied works within their power.” 2 While the baroque concerto grosso and the Classical-era multiple soloist concertos can provide a basic model of how the performers should interact, the issue of connec tions between these genres is con tentious, and the etymology is com plex. The lack of a complete auto graph of Mozart’s work adds further problems; only a few fragments exist in folios with sketches of the cadenzas. Correspondence from Mozart about the work is inexis tent; Christoph-Hellmut Mahling notes that as it was likely composed in Salzburg, there was no reason for him to write about it. 3 The abun dance of recordings of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante allows for insight into the wide-ranging opin ions of performers regarding how

Sinfonia-Focused Philosophies

Two approaches—based on the sonata and symphony—form a phi losophy that focuses on the sinfonia aspect of the Sinfonia Concertante. This philosophy departs from view ing the genre as an extension of the concerto; rather, viewing it as an extension of the symphony or sonata. Claude Palisca remarks that the term sinfonia has etymological roots in the sonata: “ Sinfonia , at first synonymous with sonata was retained in the second half of the century particularly for the first number of a suite of dances or for pieces with fuller texture.” 5 Brook also notes the possible use of the French term symphonie concertante instead of the Italian sinfonia con certante, which lets us consider a focus on the symphony instead of the sonata. 6 In this sinfonia-based approach there is still quite a range

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