It was 240 years ago this year that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed the first notes of his historic Serenade No. 10 in B-flat for wind instruments, which became known as the “Gran Partita.” At the time, music for winds alone had largely been relegated to ceremonial functions or background musical entertainment. Although this piece takes the form and title of the typical light outdoor serenades of the day, it is a monumental work that was almost certainly intended for an attentive and serious audience and was likely designed to occupy an entire concert by itself. The composer could not have been aware of its significance at the time, but his inventive and captivating Gran Partita set the stage for the development of wind bands all over the globe in the following centuries and for the repertoire that continues to flourish today.

Program and Notes

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