Danzi – Son of Schwetzingen

Concert at St. Pankratius for the 200th Anniversary of His Death

The Mozart Society Schwetzingen, together with the Research Center Court | Music | City, invites you to a concert at St. Pankratius Church on Monday, April 13, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. The focus is on the composer and cellist Franz Danzi (1763–1826), one of the city’s most important musicians. Born in the same year as Mozart’s visit to Schwetzingen, Danzi is considered the most famous “son of Schwetzingen.”

His baptism date, June 15, 1763, is recorded in the church registers; however, there are conflicting reports about his exact date of birth. Danzi himself gave May 15.

The family’s musical roots lie in northern Italy. His father, Ludovico Danzi, was principal cellist of the Electoral Court Orchestra and a highly respected musician. Danzi’s sister Franziska also became known as a singer and composer. Franz Danzi received his training from his father, initially worked as a cellist in Mannheim and Munich, and later became court kapellmeister in Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, where he died on April 13, 1826.

He is best known for his wind quintets. This concert is dedicated to rarely performed works for piano and winds and places Danzi in dialogue with Mozart.

Program:

• Quintet in E-flat major, K. 452 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

• Piano Sonata in F major, Op. 3 by Franz and Margarethe Danzi

• Quintet in D minor, Op. 41 by Franz Danzi

The concert brings Danzi’s music back to its place of origin and invites audiences to rediscover his diverse body of work.

Photo credit: Simon van Boxtel