Blomstedt, 97, premieres adolescent Mozart

The Serenade in C K 648 for two violins and bass, nicknamed A Very Little Night Music, was discovered recently in Leipzig and performed at the Gewandhaus. Now the veteran Herbert Blomstedt has recorded an expanded version for DG.

He says: ‘It is an unexpected gift that at the age of 97 was able to take on the first recording of an early work by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The fact that the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig was the most compelling musical partner for this is because I have a long history and close partnership with the orchestra and because the Mozart manuscript was discovered in Leipzig. Performing it symphonically with a choral string section instead of using a pure chamber music setup with individual violins and bass required some thought, but in the end, it led to a very convincing result. Ultimately, we are following in the tradition of the sister serenade ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’, which has also established itself as a symphonic work. We are pleased to have provided a small initial impetus for what will surely become a long history of interpretations for Mozart’s Serenade in C K. 648.’