Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

6 Deutsche Tänze KV 571

Mozart himself was an enthusiastic dancer, and produced many dance works, including ten sets of "German Dances". The first set was written in February 1787, before Mozart's appointment to Kammermusicus (Imperial Chamber Composer) in Vienna. The other sets, excluding KV 611, were written between December 1787 and 1791, during which Mozart also wrote well known pieces such as Symphonies 40 and 41, and his opera "Così fan tutte". These "German Dances" were mostly written in sets of six, with one set of four and one of twelve. The "German Dances" were characterized as a precursor of the waltz as they are characterized by its rather simple movements. In this edition of the "6 Deutsche Tänze KV 574" (1789), Dutch arranger Olivier Bruning arranged the work for a wind ensemble of 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons and 2 horns.