Conductor  –  Cristian Neagu

Programme

Ludwig van Beethoven – Coriolan ouverture op. 62
Georg Friedrich Händel – Concerto grosso op. 6 nr. 1 in sol major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Symphony no. 36 in do major Linz K. 42

On Saturday evening, June 9th, music lovers are welcome for a performance which brings three of the great masters of classical music to the forefront.

The first part of the programme includes Coriolan Ouverture op. 62 by Ludwig van Beethoven, composed in 1807 and based on Heinrich Joseph von Collin’s “Coriolan” tragedy (1804). The dramatic tensions in the ouverture outline the inner turmoil of the protagonist, Coriolan, a nobleman from Ancient Rome, banished from the city, who has to choose between going through with his revenge plan and listening to his family’s wishes, who beg him to retreat from the war he had already started.

The ouverture is followed by a remarkable work by Händel, Concerto grosso op. 6 no. 1, published in 1739 among the “12 concerti grossi”. Composed for an assemblage of chords and a soloist concertino, narrowed down to two violins and a cello, Opus 36 is counted among the innovative works of the period, built upon a foundation inspired by the Italian Baroque school, which Händel had been familiar with since the beginning of his musical demeanors.

The end of the evening brings “Linz” Symphony, named after the city it was written in, during Mozart’s short stay in Linz, in the autumn of 1783. Surprisingly, it took Mozart only 4 days to write the piece, following his host’s (the count of Linz) invitation to perform there during his stay. The composer realised that he had none of his works with him, so he embarked on the ambitious project of writing one in a very short timespan. As a clear proof of his genius, “Linz” Symphony shows no mark of the hasty way it was composed, on the contrary – it is defined by an impressive musical precision and still is regarded as one of Mozart’s most important symphonies.