Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven only met in person in 1787, in a meeting about which little is known but which was fleeting and without the historical significance one would expect in the light of our times. Coincidentally, two years earlier they had both composed quartets with piano, an unusual formation at the time that brought together the violin, viola d’arco, cello and piano. In 1785, Mozart was 29 years old and fighting hard to make a name for himself professionally in Vienna, trying to make a living on his own merit, without depending on a patron. In this sense, the Piano Quartet No. 1 was intended to be sold on the public sheet music market; for amateur musicians, therefore. But it was too difficult. The technical complexity and expressive intensity were inadequate. Today, the Metropolitan Soloists thank him for his boldness, and so do we. For his part, that same year, Beethoven was still living in Bonn. He was only 15 and would not have known about the project. Even so, he was familiar with other chamber works by Mozart. Although at the time he was mainly a virtuoso pianist, his concern to balance the prominence of his instrument with that of the strings is remarkable.
Mozart & Beethoven
Metropolitana´s Soloists
W. A. Mozart Piano Quartet No. 1, KV 478
L. v. Beethoven Piano Quartet No. 1, WoO 36
Carlos Damas violin
Andrei Ratnikov viola
Jian Hong cello
Anna Tomasik piano
