Non-existent Mozart: The History of Flute Opus 75

Firm "Melody" released the album "Mozart". Six duets for two flutes commemorate the 270th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, including opus 75, a work that Mozart himself never wrote. This story illustrates how the everyday life and practices of the nineteenth century influenced the musical realm.

At the time, playing home instruments, especially during evening meetings, was a popular way of spending leisure time among educated and wealthy people. They often performed simplified versions of famous works. Publishers, aware of this demand, often created "new" works themselves, signing them with the names of famous authors, compiling existing works, processing them and arranging them for specific compositions. It was a way to create new works under the guidance of famous names.

Thus arose six duets for two flutes (opus 75), which were assembled from several violin sonatas, piano trios and reworked for flutes. As Artem Vargaftik notes, “Is this Mozart?” Nope. But all the music is Mozart's.

In the twentieth century, opus 75 remained a little-known work, regarded as a fake work for amateurs. However, Melody made the first studio recording of this opus. Flutists Andrei Malykh and Elena Platitsyna, working in the Symphony Orchestra of the Nizhny Novgorod Philharmonic, initiated the creation of this project. Small, in addition to flutes, is also known for his active musical activity in the rock band "Chronop". Platitsyna participates in projects such as "Bitter Quintet" and the festival "Voice of the flute". In their interpretation, the duets are so convincing that they demonstrate Mozart’s understanding and feeling, thanks to the beauty of the melodies, the harmonious form, the flute sound and the masterful play of the two instruments.