Summer Series III -- The Mastery of Mastery

The viola became Mozart's most beloved instrument. The distinctively mellow, plaintive sound of the instrument saturates the composer's sublime Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major for Violin and Viola, a piece that glows from within when the instruments aren't chasing each other down. Mozart also remained fond of his Symphony No. 29 long after it was written. This symphonic coming-of-age oozes well-bred charm on the surface but carries a characteristically Mozartian sadness and depth that cannot help but leave their mark. The composer's best-known earworm opens this portrait of music's supreme combiner of energy and grace.