In 1777, the 21 year-old Mozart left Salzburg to find employment at one of the royal courts of Europe. On his way to Paris, Mozart stopped in Mannheim, where he received a commission for several compositions from Ferdinand Dejean, a wealthy amateur flutist.
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| MANNHEIM MAIN SQUARE IN THE 18TH CENTURY |
The Flute Quartet in D Major is the only one of Mozart's flute quartets to be regularly performed today, and is a staple of the chamber music repertoire.
After a cheery first movement, the minor key second movement features a haunting flute melody over pizzicato strings. The finale is a fast and bright sonata rondo.
