Abstracts of issue 20 (2011)

Ion Zottos

The ‘aller-retour’ of Mozart in Paris in 1778 and Baron von Grimm

As opposed to Mozart’s first sojourn in Paris (end of November 1763 – 10 April 1764), where the eight-year old Wolfgang was the spoilt child prodigy of the French aristocracy, his second stay there (end of March – end of November 1778) was an utter failure. Relying on Grimm for introducing his son to the right people, Leopold sent his son with his mother to Paris, where his only success was the performance of his Symphony K. 297, while the other compositions commissioned there were boycotted. And while Mozart originally intended to prolong his stay until 1779, Grimm sent him back to his father by couch, having covered only part of the expenses.

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