WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART

Referred to as “A Very Little Night Music”, the Serenade in C K 648 for string trio, is a previously unknown piece of music that was discovered by researchers of the International Mozarteum Foundation in the Carl Ferdinand Becker collection of the Municipal Music Library in Leipzig, Germany, while compiling the latest edition of the Köchel catalogue, the authoritative survey of Mozart’s oeuvre. Composed by Mozart for his sister, Maria Anna (Nannerl to friends and family), when he was in his early teens, the piece dates back to the mid to late 1760s and consists of seven miniature movements for two violins and bass. It was introduced to the public on 19 September 2024 by the International Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg which oversaw the research and authentification under the direction of Dr. Ulrich Leisinger. 

How quickly the adoption and evolution of Mozart’s early work has progressed, is exemplified by a recording in the city of Leipzig where the manuscript of A Very Little Night Music was rediscovered. When an unprecedented wave of public interest way beyond Leipzig and Salzburg ensued, the renowned Gewandhausorchester Leipzig decided at short notice to devote a portion of their already scheduled sessions with their former music director and honorary conductor Herbert Blomstedt to recording the Serenade in C. The orchestra version mirrors the evolution of Mozart’s famous Serenade in G “A Little Night Music” (Eine Kleine Nachtmusik) which was originally conceived for chamber ensemble as well, but is today even more commonly known in a string orchestra version.