Mozart & Mendelssohn: Nov 7–9, 2025
- cbeeson69
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
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W.A. Mozart
Violin Concerto No. 4
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Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, aka Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart aka Wolfie (1756-1791) was an Austrian composer of the Classical era. He was the younger brother to celebrated prodigy keyboardist and composer Maria Anna "Nannerl" Mozart, and the son of respected violin pedagogue Leopold Mozart. Wolfie "Amadeus" is one of the most instantly recognizable composers of Western European classical music, and together with Franz Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven templated the First Viennese School of compositional style.
Highlights:
Mozart composed 5 concerti for violin and orchestra, all within 1775 while he was in Italy with his famous composer and violin pedagogue father Leopold. He was still developing his skills at composition, which is very evident in the evolution of these 5 in terms of complexity and inventiveness.
He was also under pressure from his father to improve his performing skills on the violin, and likely composed the later concerti for a much more adept violinist colleague, Antonio Brunetti, to premiere.
This may have chapped Leopold a bit, since he was still riding Wolfie about his progress two years later as evidenced in a letter he wrote saying “Did you not practice the violin at all while you were in Munich? I dare say that would be really deplorable, particularly since Brunetti praised you to the skies!” Parents, amiright? 😂
Concerto No. 4 is a standard solo work for serious advanced violin students to study, is often required in professional audition settings, and is performed with similar frequency as the also very popular 5th concerto.
Concerto No. 4 is structured in a typical fashion - an aria-like slow movement bookended by quicker paced outer movements. The first movement, Allegro (Lively tempo), features a snappy military rhythm characteristic. The middle movement, Andante cantabile (Moderate pace; singing), reflects the immersion in opera that Mozart was studying at the time with its long singing melodic lines. The final movement, Rondeau: Andante grazioso-Allegro ma non troppo (Alternating form: Moderate pace; graceful-Lively pace but not too much) features folk dance elements like a jig and a droning hurdy-gurdy effect from the solo violin, suggesting the feeling of a party or festival. The whole concerto is a vibe!
Of the three most often performed violin concerti by Mozart (numbers 3, 4, and 5) - it is the most muscular; not quite as flamboyant as No. 5 or as introverted as No. 3. It has a heroic quality to it from the outset, and is an exciting way to enliven a night out to the symphony even with its fadeout ending!
A typical performance of Violin Concerto No. 4 lasts about 25 minutes.
Resources and Extra Tidbits for nerd cred...
Hit up my Nerdware Store to purchase the Complete Concert Guide which includes links to performance recordings and fun tidbits, more information, and an audio recording I made of the concert notes.
For a better value, subscribe to my monthly Backstage Pass where you'll have access to all the Complete Concert Guides and more!
Felix Mendelssohn
"Lobgesang"
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Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was a German composer, conductor, and pianist during the early Romantic era. He was also brother to composer and pianist Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, and grandson of influential Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, born Moses Mendel, ergo the name “Mendel’s son” and a really handy way to remember how to spell it correctly! (Kinda weird flex for Fanny though… 🤓)
highlights:
Felix Mendelssohn composed "Lobgesang" Hymn of Praise in 1840. It was a commission specifically to mark the 400th anniversary of the invention of Gutenberg's movable type printing press and the printing of the Gutenberg Bible.
Mendelssohn called it a "Symphony-Cantata on Words of the Holy Bible for Soloists, Choir, and Orchestra". On paper it looks quite daunting with 13 distinct movements, like chapters in a musical chapter book. The first three movements are for orchestra alone and constitute the symphonic portion. The final ten movements form the cantata portion with two soprano soloists, a tenor soloist, chorus, and orchestra. In this way it mirrors Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th "Ode to Joy" Symphony, composed in the early 1820s. In fact Felix Mendelssohn's "Lobgesang" is the first work with this structure since Beethoven's famous 9th.
"Lobgesang" was posthumously published as "Symphony No. 2" following the date of composition within his 4 major symphonic works but it's not clear that Mendelssohn intended for it to be considered a symphony. Therefore it is considered both to be his second symphony and an example of a sacred vocal work.
Felix Mendelssohn's "Lobgesang" was one of his most popular works during his lifetime. Today it isn't performed as often as his other works. This could be due in part to the 'neither fish nor fowl' structure, and the fact that it clocks in at twice the length of his other symphonic works. However, it bears consideration that much of Mendelssohn's work was suppressed first through vilification of Jewish composers by Richard Wagner and later by the Nazi party's censorship of Jewish art and culture. Now of course it survives and thrives as a testament to joy and praise with its text taken largely from Psalms, and is a wonderful successor to the similarly constructed "Ode to Joy" 9th Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven.
"Lobgesang" Symphony-Cantata is scored for two sopranos, tenor, chorus, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, organ, and the usual string sections of violins, violas, cellos, and basses.
A typical performance last 65-75 minutes.
Resources:
More Resources and Extra cool nerdery!
Hit up my Nerdware Store to purchase the Complete Concert Guide which includes links to performance recordings, the full interview with chorus director Taylor Martin, more information, and an audio recording I made of the full concert notes.
For a better value, subscribe to my monthly Backstage Pass where you'll have access to all the Complete Concert Guides and more!
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