Nuovo Trio Italiano d'Archi - Mozart: Divertimento KV563 (2023) [Hi-Res]

The slow movement represents another point of contact with the work, and this Adagio, the expressive heart of the work, is structured like a great solo aria. Mozart chose the key of A flat major, rare in his music and always ambassador of special moments, to express the melancholy of this world. In certain moments, the intensity of the singing becomes so dramatic as to go beyond the boundaries of tonal language. Furthermore, the Masonic number has an almost obsessive importance in the writing, with counterpoints in three parts and variations in triplets.

The spirit of Masonic Enlightenment is concentrated in the austere sonority of the minor variation, manifesting compassion and the detachment of true wisdom. The form of both the rondo and the sonata blend into an architecture of perfect proportions, developed in a movement full of grace and energy. There are two thematic elements – a lively Italian dance and a contrasting episode of vague militaristic tone. This material feeds an always alive and changing form, enriched by new harmonic ideas and ingenious transitions.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) wrote his Divertimento in E♭ major, KV563, a string trio, in 1788, the year in which he completed his last three symphonies. It is dedicated to Michael Puchberg, a fellow Freemason, who lent money to Mozart. The premiere was in Dresden on April 13, 1789, with Mozart playing the viola part. The great musicologist Alfred Einstein said of this extraordinary work: "it is a true chamber-music work, and grew to such large proportions only because it was intended to offer something special in the way of art, invention, and good spirits. ... Each instrument is primus inter pares, every note is significant, every note is a contribution to spiritual and sensuous fulfillment in sound." Einstein called it "one of his noblest works." The work sets the highest instrumental standards and requires three equally virtuoso players. The Mozart Divertimento is paired on this CD with the String Trio in B flat by Franz Schubert. Played with great dedication and refinement by the Nuovo Trio Italiano d'Archi (Alessandro Milani violin · Luca Ranieri viola · Pierpaolo Toso cello).

Recorded January 2020 in Bernareggio (Lombardy), Italy.

Bilingual booklet in English & Italian contains liner notes by Oreste Bossini and profiles on the artists.