Mozart: Concerto no. 6 in E flat K268 for violin and orchestra

Description

FE45               Solo violin, wind (1202 2000) and strings 

Allegro moderato; un poco Adagio; Rondo: Allegretto

There has been much controversy surrounding this work ranging from claims that none of it is the work of Mozart to assertions that most of the tuttis and all of the solo line were sketched. Friedrich Blume, in the Mozart Companion, was of the latter opinion as indeed is Fountayne Editions. The opening tutti is a magnificent piece of work of Mozart’s maturity. This piece was probably composed around 1784 (the unusual scoring of 1 Flute, 2 Oboes, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns occurs in only a few concertos by Mozart, all stemming from around 1784). If this date is correct, then this concerto was started 9 years after the 5 authenticated ones. Some of the solo part seems to be un-Mozartian and rewritten rather in the manner of the Viotti school whilst parts of the accompaniment are somewhat lacking in the craft and spirit of Mozart. However, the bulk of the concerto is surely a product of Mozart’s genius. It seems likely that the publisher Johann Andre acquired an unfinished sketch from Mozart’s wife, Konstanze, after Mozart’s death and had it completed. He also published the Rondo in C for Violin and Orchestra around the same time. The fact that Mozart left the concerto incomplete does not necessarily mean that he had abandoned it. Alan Tyson has shown by analysis of the paper types used in Mozart’s manuscripts that he sometimes set aside works for many years before completing them. For example, the ‘last’ piano concerto in B Flat K595 was started as early as 1785 or 1786 but only finished in 1791.

Duration 25 mins

SEE ALSO FE51 for violin and piano reduction

Full score  £16

Set of parts wind (1202 0200) and strings (43221) £60

Extra string parts £4