Mozart’s four flute quartets resemble small concertos in which the flute takes centre stage alongside the strings, as if it were a soloist. Yet the intimate character of chamber music is not lost. Everything is transparent, as is always the case with the Austrian composer. This is music that fits within the gallant spirit of early Classicism, albeit with echoes of the Rococo style from the past. The first and third quartets are included here. The latter is incomplete (only two movements) and raises doubts about its authenticity; specifically the Andantino, which consists of variations on a theme that also appears in the Grand Partita. KV 285, on the other hand, was undoubtedly the result of the famous commission he received from a music lover and amateur flautist in 1777, during a stay in the city of Mannheim in search of new opportunities. With the standard three-movement structure, the ease and dance-like character of the Rondo that concludes this programme stand out. In between, we also have the opportunity to hear a new work that Sérgio Azevedo composed for this very same ensemble: flute, violin, viola and cello. One senses an imaginary exchange of themes with historical resonance.
Quartetos com Flauta
Solistas da Metropolitana
W. A. Mozart Flute Quartet No. 3, KV 285b
Sérgio Azevedo Flute Quartet (world premiere)
W. A. Mozart Flute Quartet No. 1, KV 285
Nuno Inácio flute
Mariana Moita violin
Sérgio Sousa viola
Catarina Gonçalves cello
