CAMPUS

Mozart: Sonate all’Epistola

Monday, May 5th, 2008
by CAMPUS Archives

Mozart: Sonate all’Epistola

The London Baroque & Charles Medlam
Harmonia Mundi: B0012OR006

 

($13.99 on ArkivMusic.com: Click here to buy this CD)

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While this album is relatively short—clocking in at just under 50 minutes—it is filled with 14 of some of Mozart’s most enjoyable works. These brief, one-movement chamber sonatas—written for performance in church between the readings of the day’s epistle and Gospel—represent a delightful cross-section of Mozart’s caprice, playfulness, and overall sense of musical humor.

Most of these sonatas are scored primarily for two violins, cello and organ—the instrumentation of the standard baroque sonata di chiesa, or church trio sonata, from which these works were derived. The London Baroque performs these works with richness and sensitivity on a full lineup of period instruments. They are able to create a robust classical-period sound with no loss of intensity, imagination or virtuosity, using authentic instruments and performance practices. In the classical music world today, concentration on historically informed performance is often limited to the music of the baroque period. As such, it is refreshing to see groups like the London Baroque—as well as the Academy of Ancient Music, the English Baroque Soloists and Europa Galante, for example—apply historical authenticity in both practice and performance to music of later time periods.

The album opens with the Sonata in B flat (K212). Immediately, it is clear that the London Baroque is truly professional. Balance and phrasing is perfect—light and delicate when called for, but tastefully brash in the tongue-in-cheek manner for which Mozart was famous. Although the instrumentation is similar to the baroque trio sonata, unlike that genre, these sonatas call for a more involved conversation among the four performers. The imitative melody between the two violins in the Sonata in B flat (K68) are juxtaposed nicely with the lines of the cello and organ, which resonate perfectly in the recording space.

The humorous musical dialogue between the violin and cello in the Sonata in F (K224) is enriched by the superb writing in the second violin line, and the London Baroque delivers the entire package with effortless virtuosity. The Sonata in C (K328) features the organ more prominently than most of the other sonatas, and the line is given a full treatment without negatively impacting the ensemble’s overall balance. Mozart’s use of descending suspensions in the organ line amidst the interweaving of the two violins creates a beautiful sonority, but particularly from 18th century instruments.

The Sonata in D (K144) is arguably one of the more symphonic-sounding of these works. All of these sonatas could potentially be performed with larger forces without losing historical authenticity, but the London Baroque’s choice to perform one-on-a-part creates an intimate listening experience and really allows for the dialogue among the instrument lines to flourish.

Overall, Mozart’s Sonate all’Epistola is a fantastic collection of brief chamber works that nicely highlights his mastery of the classical chamber style. The London Baroque perform these works flawlessly and effortlessly, and their decisions on balance and phrasing create a truly enjoyable—not to mention historically accurate—musical experience. This is, perhaps, Mozart at his most enjoyable.

Grade

Performance: A

Sound: A

Nick Fitzgerald is the Editor in Chief of The Virginia Informer Online, the Collegiate Network member publication at The College of William and Mary.

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