The Divertimento K. 136 shows Mozart’s early mastery over conventional forms and hints of the ingenuity to come. Normally a Divertimento is an unassuming work in several brief movements of varying characters, the divertimento was meant to be background music for conversation, dining, or other diversions.
At their best, divertimenti are entertaining, but are required only to be pleasant. The concise Divertimento in D, though, is more of a small symphony, and Mozart handles it with a greater degree of care than other composers would.
The singing Allegro of the first movement is elegant in its simplicity, and is a small but perfectly cast sonata form.
The Andante fulfills the standard role of minuet and trio, albeit in miniature. Mozart invests this movement with details that reward closer listening, like the moments in which the first violin sustains a single tone, floating free above the rest of the texture as the other voices carry on.
The Presto is the simplest of the three movements, as if Mozart knows he has done enough and is content to waive a cheerful farewell to the audience.
Listen now to this lovely music, and enjoy it.
