As part of Arcana’s occasional Sunday look at the serenade, we cannot leave out one of the finest examples in the form. Mozart‘s Gran Partita, composed in 1781, was written for 13 instruments – wind ensemble and double bass – and is in seven movements. It is a special piece of music, not least in the third movement Adagio. Here it is in a 1991 performance from the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis:

Published post no.2,232 – Sunday 7 July 2024