Shortly after the premiere of the Quintet for piano and winds, Mozart wrote to his father: ‘I consider it the best thing I have written in my life. Mozart’s satisfaction with this work was perhaps partly due to his ability to solve some technical problems beautifully, namely the effective mixing and contrasting of timbres inherent in the combination of piano and wind instruments. No single instrument is privileged and, despite a few concertante passages, the chamber musical character is fully present. The result is an absolute masterpiece and a joyous opening to this grand finale!

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957) was one of the greatest child prodigies in music history, following the example of the young Mozart and Mendelssohn. The String Sextet in D major, op. 10 was completed by the 17-year-old Korngold in 1916 on the eve of the First World War. It drives harmonic language to its chromatic limits, yet always falls back into the sensual grandeur of tonality. At times, melodic threads emerge that remind you of Mahler’s finest passages. It feels youthful and powerful, but there is also a sense of deep maturity.

A worthy finale to Resonances 2025!