Serenade No. 11 in E-flat, K. 375

SERENADE NO. 11 in E-flat Major, K. 375, written for eight wind instruments, is widely regarded to be the first masterpiece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Composed in the early months of 1781, it found its first audience on October 15 of that year, at the home of the Vienna court painter Joseph von Hickel who was serving as host to the valet and personal cellist of Emperor Joseph II, Joseph von Strack, during one of his frequent visits. Shortly after completing the original version for six players, Mozart learned that the emperor had installed a new eight-piece wind ensemble as his house band. He quickly added two oboe parts, creating an octet in a shrewd effort to get his music performed at the imperial court. Instrumentation: 0.2.2.2: 2.0.0.0.