n the 18th century, serenades were sequences of relatively short instrumental pieces. They were performed in contexts of social entertainment, usually dedicated to a particular individual. We do not know to whom Mozart dedicated Serenade No. 10, written in the early 1780s, when he moved to Vienna. Perhaps to Emperor Joseph II. Perhaps to Constanze, whom he married around the same time. What is certain is that the work became known as the Gran Partita, not least because it is the longest instrumental composition in his entire catalogue.
For his part, Richard Strauss’s First Sonatina for Wind Instruments was composed a century and a half later, at the end of his life, while he was recovering from pneumonia — hence the subtitle “From the Workshop of an Invalid.” The work surprises us with its clear classicism, as if the composer of the opera Elektra wished to return to the beginnings of his career.
Harmonias de Viena
Orquestra Académica Metropolitana
R. Strauss – Sonatina No. 1
W. A. Mozart – Gran Partita
Jean-Marc Burfin and/or Conducting Students – ANSO
musical direction
