Mozart – Igor Oistrakh, David Oistrakh, Moskauer Philharmonisches Orchester, Kyrill Kondrashin – Sinfonia Concertante For Violin And Viola, K 364

The Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in E♭ major, K. 364 (320d), was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

At the time of its composition in 1779, Mozart was on a tour of Europe that included Mannheim and Paris. He had been experimenting with the sinfonia concertante genre and this work can be considered his most successful realization in this cross-over genre between symphony and concerto.

The piece is scored in three movements for solo violin, solo viola, two oboes, two horns, and strings, the last including a divided viola section, which accounts for the work’s rich harmony.

The solo viola part is written in D major instead of E♭ major,[a] and the instrument tuned a semitone sharper (scordatura technique), to give a more brilliant tone. This technique is less common when performed on the modern viola and is used mostly in performance on original instruments. However, modern violinists that choose to play scordatura, the way Mozart originally composed it, will more easily project over the orchestra.