Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra

Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra
by W. A. Mozart
The young composer, a 1777 copy of a lost painting
Key	E-flat major
Catalogue	K. 364 (320d)
Genre	Sinfonia concertante
Style	Classical period
Composed	1779 (1779)
Movements	Three (Allegro maestose, Andante, Presto)
Scoring	Violin Viola orchestra

The Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in E-flat 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. Mozart 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 latter 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 flat major, and the instrument tuned a semitone sharper (scordatura technique), to give a more brilliant tone. This technique is uncommon when performed on the modern viola and is used mostly in performance on original instruments.

Richard Wigmore in Gramophone October 2015 says there are over 40 CD recordings, of which 20 are listed. He rates as best to date one by Iona Brown, violinist and conductor, and Lars Anders Tomter, viola, with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Chandos CHAN9695. Also on his "short list" is a 1989 recording, with Iona Brown, and with Nobuko Imai, viola.

This Sinfonia Concertante has influenced many arrangers to use its themes. In 1808 an uncredited arrangement of the piece for string sextet Grande Sestetto Concertante was published by Sigmund Anton Steiner. All six parts are divided equally among the six players; it is not presented as soloists with accompaniment. It has also been arranged for cello in place of the viola part.