| Movements/SectionsMov'ts/Sec's | 1 |
|---|---|
| Composition Year | 2026 |
| Work Title | optional percussion for Mozart Violin Concerto No.5 last mvt |
|---|---|
| Alternative. Title | Turkish percussion for Turkish section of Mozart Violin Concerto No.5 last mvt |
| Composer | Weiss, Matthew C. |
| Internal Reference NumberInternal Ref. No. | IMW 10 |
| Key | A major |
| Movements/SectionsMov'ts/Sec's | 1 |
| Year/Date of CompositionY/D of Comp. | 2026 |
| First Performance. | 2026/1/31 |
| First Publication. | 2026 |
| Average DurationAvg. Duration | 5 minutes |
| Composer Time PeriodComp. Period | Modern |
| Piece Style | Classical |
| Instrumentation | solo violin and orchestra |
| External Links | https://youtu.be/8xDym2Ga7Gg |
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K. 219 ("Turkish"), composed in December 1775 at age 19, stands as his most mature and imaginative violin concerto, blending elegant Classical grace with bold innovations and exotic flair. The opening Allegro aperto surprises with an unexpected lyrical Adagio interruption right after the orchestral introduction, followed by a radiant new theme over the orchestra's original motif, showcasing Mozart's playful structural ingenuity.
The central Adagio offers profound, song-like introspection with soaring violin lines and delicate wind dialogues.
The finale, a Rondeau: Tempo di minuetto, unfolds as a graceful minuet interrupted by a vigorous "Turkish" episode in A minor—featuring driving rhythms, chromatic outbursts, and percussive col legno effects in the lower strings, evoking the Janissary-style music popular in 18th-century Europe.
In today’s performance, soloist Matt Weiss premieres his original cadenzas for the first and second movements, crafted in authentic Classical style, while employing slightly modified versions of the traditional Joachim cadenzas in the third movement.
Matt also requested that we augment the Turkish section of the last movement with added percussion to heighten the exotic character of the section, similar to what is done in Mozart’s opera The Abduction from the Seraglio as Belmonte and his servant Pedrillo infiltrate the Turkish palace of Pasha Selim.
