The violin concertos K. 211, 216, 218 and 219 were all composed within a
few months, between June and December 1775, while Mozart was in the employ
of the Archbishop of Salzburg. In his Violin Concerto No. 3 K. 216, Mozart
began allocating a more demanding role to the orchestra, striving for the
effect of a dialogue between soloist and accompaniment. Without leaving the
French-influenced style behind completely, he began to find his own voice
in this piece, elaborating it with a breadth and detail that had previously
been lacking. Particularly outstanding in this work is the emotionally
turbulent development section of the first movement, the lyrical,
woodwind-colored theme of the Adagio movement, and the many imaginative
intermezzi between the rondo themes of the last movement.
After having devoted himself to Baroque music for many years, Nikolaus
Harnoncourt began turning increasingly to the orchestral works of Mozart in
the 1980s. Here, too, Harnoncourt's views differed radically from those of
traditional Mozart reception. For him, Mozart is "the most romantic
composer of all", his music "dramatic, dynamic, often strikingly and
exceedingly emotional". In Gidon Kremer, Harnoncourt found a partner who
shared his views. The German-Russian violin virtuoso has also sought his
own path in his Mozart interpretations. In 1970 the then 23-year-old
virtuoso attained the first peak of his career by winning the first prize
at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He has since
become one of the most sought-after violinists in the world. It should also
be noted that the Vienna Philharmonic, celebrated for its natural and
graceful Mozart style, initially opposed Harnoncourt's unconventional
concepts. However, the orchestra was soon won over by the unusual stylistic
approach often concertizes with Harnoncourt today.
