The fact that Mozart's concerts and chamber music for wind instruments are among his most sensitive works is undoubtedly due to the fact that he often wrote this music for the possibilities of a particular wind player. Mozart's collaboration with the sensitive clarinetist Anton Stadler, for whom Mozart wrote the beautiful Clarinet Quintet, is legendary. Friedrich Ramm, the first oboist in the
… orchestra of the Bavarian Elector, also had a warm tone. Mozart wrote the Oboe Quartet KV.370 for him in 1781. Mozart wrote not only four horn concertos for horn player Joseph Leutgeb, but also the horn quintet KV.407. A remarkable aspect of this work is the instrumentation, which includes two violas, as if low strings can be better balanced with the horn. The instrumentation of the Quintet KV.452 for piano, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon would have been even more difficult to master. Despite this, or rather, thanks to this unusual combination, Mozart was able to realize an exceptional sonority. The Oboe Quartet, the Horn Quartet and the Quintet for Piano and Wind Instruments are played by The Gaudier Ensemble. They also play the Quintet movement KV.580b. (HJ)more
