Mozart Among Friends

After performing the complete set of Mozart Sonatas for pianoforte and violin together, pianist James Howsmon and violinist Marilyn McDonald longed to relive three lesser-known gems. Perhaps smaller in scope but not in creativity, the sonatas that make up Mozart Among Friends wonderfully reveal the full range of Mozart's genius. The recording opens with the tempestuous Sonata in G major, K. 379, with its turbulent minor-key Allegro movement bookended by a florid Adagio in G major and a set of variations on a cheerful theme. It is followed by the Sonata in F major, K. 377, in which Mozart revived an old tradition from his youth: incorporating a minuet as finale, signaling a release of tension as the piece progresses from its energetic opening movements to its elegant conclusion. Completing the program is the Sonata in A major, K. 526, which reveals the ''emancipation'' of the violin from the piano, a device employed by Haydn at the time and incorporated into Mozart's string quartets and