Mozart: String Quartet No. 21, Prussian No. 1 | Gewandhaus Quartet

Four strings in perfect balance: The Gewandhaus Quartet plays Mozart’s String Quartet No. 21 in D major, K. 575, “Prussian No. 1”, in the historic surrounds of Rammenau Baroque Castle, 2005. (00:00) I. Allegretto (07:15) II. Andante (11:26) III. Menuetto: Allegretto (17:25) IV. Allegretto Of the 23 string quartets composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791), the final three bear the epithet ’Prussian’ – as it is said that Prussian king Frederick William II commissioned them from Mozart. Mozart did in fact travel to Potsdam and Berlin – among other places – in the spring of 1789, with the intention of offering his service as a composer to the Prussian king. Frederick William II had succeeded his uncle Frederick II on the Prussian throne upon his death and, like his uncle, was known to be a great lover and supporter of music. He himself also played the cello. This fabled meeting of Mozart and the music-loving king, however, never took place. Mozart apparently traveled ba