“Just Mozart”: Mozart Translations Revealing New Facets

The new album "Just Mozart" from St. Petersburg violinist and conductor Ilya Ioff and his chamber orchestra "Divertisment" is a collection of transcriptions of works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for string composition. All the compositions in the album are transcriptions performed by various German musicians of the XIX-XX centuries. It’s important to note that none of these transcripts have been released on discs before.

While many of these renditions were created for modest amateur bands and are not intended for concert venues, Just Mozart demonstrates how powerful and varied strings can be expressed. In particular, the translation of the Symphony in Salt Minor, made by Peter Lichtental, the bi-royal sonata in D major (KV 448), supplemented by the orchestral part of Ilya Ioff, and the overture to Don Juan, adapted for strings and harmonia, open new facets of Mozart’s work.

In addition, the album includes a transcription of the famous Adagio (KV 580a), originally written for the wind ensemble, where the strings give this masterpiece a plein-air lightness, filling it with lyrical warmth and depth of contemplation.

The recording was made in the Lutheran Church of St. Catherine in St. Petersburg in 2024.