Something called a divertimento certainly sounds like something I’d want to listen to on (say) an idle Sunday afternoon.
And yet, yet… featuring oboes? Aren’t they kind of, well, somber?
Not in Mozart’s hands, evidently. Wikipedia says this work “was written in July 1776 in Salzburg, possibly for the name day of Mozart’s sister, Nannerl on July 26th or her birthday on July 30th”… which would certainly explain the light feel of this piece.
I can’t pretend to know the significance of the musical terminology for the six movements, but here are their names (and lengths) per the recording I have.
- Molto Allegro (4:43)
- Menuetto & Trio (3:39)
- Andantino (3:58)
- Menuetto (4:10)
- Rondeau, Allegro assai (5:05)
- Marcia alla francese (2:18)
(This is the 1990 LaserLight recording, which doesn’t identify performers for specific pieces. As you can see from the image above, though, the album cover attributes the album as a whole to these performers: Franz Lizst Chamber Orchestra; Berlin Chamber Orchestra; and the Budapest Wind Ensemble.)
[Below, click Play button to begin Mozart: Divertimento No. 11 for Oboes, Horns, and Strings in D Major. While audio is playing, volume control appears at left — a row of little vertical bars. This clip as a whole is about 23 minutes long.]
