String Quartet no 1 in G major, K80 – Mozart
by richibi
“Mozart“ (2015)
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Mozart’s First String Quartet, in G major, K80,
is not at all equal to Haydn’s First, then again
Mozart was only 14 in 1770 when he wrote
it, Haydn in his early thirties when he
composed his, in the late 1750s
the difficulties are flagrant, first of all, starting
with an adagio is something to avoid, like
falling into your agonies before even saying
hello, it can be entirely dispiriting for your,
however forgiving, audience
unless, of course, the lament is poignant,
unlike here, I thought
the later movements are emotionally
nearly indistinguishable from each
other, despite astute changes in
tempo, that sufficiently differentiate
the several parts, but one leaves the
recital, nevertheless, remembering
nothing, essentially, though not not
entertaining, the quartet is not
memorable
but listen to his first piano concerto, in
D major, K175, called his Piano Concerto
no. 5 for esoteric reasons I won’t get into,
he was only 17, and already he entirely
seduces you, leaves you enchanted
he needs the piano, I think, for the lovely
musical runs up the octaves he invents,
like birds lifting gently, light as air, from
their branches, soaring, coasting,
dipping, dropping, finding a nearby
branch or eave upon which to rest for a
moment, and cede to the strains of the
restless orchestral winds, and then fly
off again, irrepressibly, towards another
part of its musical wonderland
a string instrument can’t do that for the
sake of the bow, which doesn’t have the
extension
Mozart never outdoes Haydn at string
quartets, though he learnt a lot from
him about them, Haydn never bested
Mozart at piano concertos
R ! chard
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