The Mozarts in Vienna

Synopsis

In the fall of 1784, Mozart and his wife moved into an elegant apartment near St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. The house belonged to the Camesina brothers, whose father made ornamental rococo plasterwork, and the ceiling of one of the larger apartments in the house was decorated in a lavish style as a kind of show room for prospective clients.

In that apartment on today’s date in 1785, Haydn heard a few of the new string quartets Mozart had recently completed and would eventually dedicate to the older composer. It’s likely Mozart performed the viola part on that occasion.

A month later, when Mozart’s father paid a visit to Vienna, the rest of the new quartets were performed, again with Haydn present. That was the occasion that Haydn turned to him and said: “Before God and as an honest man, I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name.”

It was probably the most deeply appreciated compliment Mozart ever received, but one the following evening wasn't too shabby either. After a performance of one of his Piano Concertos, his majesty the Austrian emperor waved to Wolfgang as he left the stage and called out: “Bravo, Mozart!”

Music Played in Today's Program

Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791): String Quartet No. 14; Juilliard Quartet CBS/Sony 45826

Wolfgang Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 18; Richard Goode, piano; Orpheus Chamber Orchestra; Nonesuch 79439

On This Day

Births

• 1893 - English composer Ivor Novello (David Ivor Davies), in Cardiff

• 1909 - American composer Elie Siegmeister, in New York

• 1960 - American composer Aaron Jay Kernis, in Philadelphia

Deaths

• 1775 - Italian composer Giovanni Battista Sammartini, 74, in Milan

Premieres

• 1732 - Handel: opera Ezio in London at the King's Theater in the Haymarket (Gregorian date: Jan. 26)

• 1890 - Tchaikovsky: ballet, Sleeping Beauty, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Jan. 3)

• 1923 - Pierné: Cydalise et le Chèvre-Pied, at the Paris Opéra

• 1924 - Prokofiev: Chout Symphonic Suite, in Brussels, conducted by F. Ruhlmann

• 1941 - Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time, at Stalag VIII-A, a German prisoner of war camp in Görlitz (Silesia), with the composer at the piano and fellow-prisoners Jean Le Boulaure (violin), Henri Akoka (clarinet) and Etienne Pasquier (cello)

• 1947 - Korngold: Violin Concerto, by the St. Louis Symphony conducted by Vladimir Golschmann, with Jascha Heifetz the soloist

• 1958 - Barber: opera Vanessa at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Dimtri Mitropoulos conducting

• 1976 - Paul Chihara: Missa Carminum for a capella chorus, in Los Angeles

• 1994 - Zwilich: Fantasy for orchestra, by the Long Beach Symphony, JoAnn Falletta conducting

• 1998 - Danielpour: Elegies, in Jacksonville, Florida, by mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and baritone Thomas Hampson, with the Jacksonville Symphony conducted by Roger Nierenberg

• 1998 - Christopher Rouse: Der Gerettete Alberich (Alberich Redeemed) for percussion and orchestra, by the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Christoph von Dohnanyi, with Evelyn Glennie the percussion soloist

Others

• 1785 - Likely date of the premiere performances of three of Mozart’s Haydn Quartets, at his apartment in Vienna, with Haydn present and possibly with Mozart playing the viola