In this essay Wolff discusses the biographical and musical implications of the composer's appointment to the court of Emperor Joseph II of Vienna, the "imperial style" in his most representative works of the period and a repertoire of pieces, mostly unknown, which he left unfinished. Does Mozart's extraordinary final production, the beginning of which marks the three great symphonies of 1788, not invite the aesthetic orientation of the composer's last works to be rethought? In a 1790 letter, two years after entering imperial service as a chamber composer, Mozart wrote that he was on the threshold of his fullness: no doubt the appointment of the composer, who had intended a fixed salary, a prestigious title and few obligations, contributed to his prolific production. Through Mozart's documents, scores and letters to his close friends, Wolff not only creates an intense account, but offe...read more
