JAVS Fall 2008

phrases forward, but Bashmet pre ferring a held-back rubato. A Symphonic Approach to the Sinfonia Concertante If a connection can be made between the sinfonia and the sonata, an equal case can be made for a connection between the sinfonia and the symphony. Paul Myers notes that Mozart “used the term Sinfonia Concertante rather than ‘Concerto’ because it implies a large scale orchestral work of symphonic proportions in which soloists are featured, rather than simply a vehi cle to highlight the skills of violinist and violist.” 18 Myers mentions cer tain compositional elements more apt for a symphony than a concerto: the size of the orchestral introduc tion in the first movement, and the sharing of musical themes between the soloists and orchestra. He also comments that in the second move ment, “the composer’s cadenza, rather than being an instrumental display piece, might be better described as an intimate conversa tion between the two soloists before the return of the orchestra.” 19 The sharing of musical themes pro vides further support to the sym phonic view. Volker Scherliess described it as “the polyphonic interplay of the two solo parts and their joint dialogue with the orches tra, whose wealth of coloring (espe cially when the oboes and horns are brought into play) makes one forget that only modest instrumental forces are used.” 20 He also describes the genre as “a symphonically con

noted that the Sinfonia Concertante was scored such that “the natural brilliance of the violin is somewhat muted, while the natu ral reticence of the viola is some what brightened and amplified,” 15 particularly by Mozart’s choice of key and the use of scordatura tun ing for the viola. These differing interpretations of chamber music in the Sinfonia Concertante are demonstrated in two recordings: the Salzburg Academic Camerata with Augustin Dumay and Veronika Hagen as soloists; and the London Philharmonic, with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Yuri Bashmet. Chamber music specialists Dumay and Hagen emphasize a blending of the solo parts, leaving the cre ation of contrast to soloists and orchestra. This is in line with Johannes Jansen’s views: “In con trast to the older form of the ‘con certo grosso,’ in which the solo instruments are treated separately from the tutti, in ‘concertino’ style, the ‘sinfonia concertante’ requires a skilful combination of solo and ensemble elements, creat ing instead a dialogue between the soli and tutti.” 16 Mutter also makes chamber music the focus of her interpretation, “it’s chamber music without ever lean ing back in the chair … with the LPO I don’t play as a soloist, but as a member of the ensemble, as a first among equals.” 17 In this recording, the conversation between the two soloists (not just between a unified team of soloists versus the orches tra) is clearly discernable from their first entry, with Mutter pushing

structed work with solo instruments (similar but not identical in form to the concerto)” connected with the Mannheim School. 21 This connec tion is further highlighted with the use of an orchestral crescendo in the first movement, an innovation of the Mannheim School. The prevalence of symphonic ele ments can also be seen when con trasted to another work by Mozart that employs multiple soloists, the Concerto for Flute and Harp, K. 299. A clear distinction is seen when comparing their first movements. The orchestra of the Concerto for Flute and Harp has little if any melodic interest while the soloists play; the Sinfonia Concertante has a greater balance towards the orches tra. The issue would then be how the second and third movements of the Sinfonia Concertante compare to the Concerto for Flute and Harp. A middle-ground argument can cer tainly be made that the Sinfonia Concertante begins as a symphony even if it ends as a concerto. An argument for the concerto aspects of the last movement would be that the refrains in the Presto are taken from the orchestra and given to the soloists, leaving the orchestra with fewer melodic interests. The Presto, nevertheless, provides examples of symphonic elements: 1. The orchestration during the violin solo in measures 114-19 has a purely accompanying role. In con trast, the orchestration of the reply ing viola in measures 122 to 128 provides a countermelodic role (ex. 3). A type of mirror image occurs

in the repeat of this secondary theme in measures 289-92. 22

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