121. Leopold Mozart - Trumpet Concerto (1762)

Recording

Title: Trumpet Concertos
Performer: Maurice André, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Director: Herbert Von Karajan
Year: 1974
Length: 11 minutes

Review

Ahh, Leopold Mozart, one of the most famous examples of a father who is completely eclipsed by his son. But on the basis of this short Trumpet Concerto you can tell that the man was no lightweight, well, he trained Mozart.

It is always complicated to judge these very short pieces for me, but it is composed a lovely couple of movements. Again it is a transitional work, the Baroque elements are still here, at this time no one was as defining of what Classical would sound like as Haydn. But even in this short concerto you can really tell that the harmony lines are much simplified when compared to most baroque, beautiful simplicity indeed.

The trills are still there, the harpsichord is still there in the back, but there is an overall feel of something cleaner, more limpid than a Baroque concerto would be, and the trumpet by Maurice Andre is flawless.

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

Leopold Mozart's music is inevitably overshadowed by the work of his son Wolfgang, but his Cassation in G for Orchestra and Toys (Toy Symphony), once attributed to Joseph Haydn, remains popular, and a number of symphonies, a trumpet concerto, and other works also survive. He was much concerned with a naturalistic feel to his compositions, his Jagdsinfonie (or Sinfonia da Caccia for four horns and strings) calls for dogs and shotguns, and his Bauernhochzeit (Peasant Wedding) includes bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, a dulcimer, whoops and whistles (ad. lib.), and pistol shots.

His oeuvre was extensive but it is hard to establish either the scope or the quality of it; much is lost and it is not known how representative the surviving works are of his overall output. Some of his work was erroneously attributed to Wolfgang and some pieces attributed to Leopold were subsequently shown to be the work of Wolfgang. Much of what survives is light music but some more significant work survives including his Sacrament Litany in D (1762) and three piano sonatas, all published in his lifetime.

Thank you internet, for having a respectably bearded man playing the allegro of the Concerto, the music in the background is the Wynton Marsalis version: