When Benjamin Britten heard from his friend, the British actor David Spenser, about the latter’s admiration for the music of the Romantics, he quickly replied: “One day, David, you will understand that Mozart is the greatest composer who ever lived (...)”. Although almost two centuries separated the Viennese Classicist and Britten, a certain common element can be seen in their work. There is no denying that Mozart’s spirit accompanied Britten from the beginning of his creative path.

For Benjamin Britten, who made his first attempts at composition in his early youth, Mozart was an unquestionable inspiration. Over the years, the Englishman repeatedly referred to the master’s achievements and reached for his works – much more often than for the scores of other distinguished artists. Both musicians were united by the ease of composing almost instinctively while maintaining mastery of technique and refined craft. The beguiling combination of genius, craft and ease can be seen in the two most famous operas by Wolfgang Amadeus – The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute. The sounds of the virtuoso arias – Non più andrai sung by Figaro and In diesen heiligen Hallen sung by Sarastro in The Magic Flute – will be just a prelude to Saturday’s concert. Mozart’s legacy will be exemplified by the Symphonie concertante in E flat major for violin and viola KV 364. This work, although rarely performed in the past, was brought back into favour on the Mozart’s bicentenary. The composition was written in 1779, and its creation was inspired by the atmosphere and sound of Paris concerts, which Mozart attended during his stay in the capital of France.

Britten's Simple Symphony op. 4 is one of those pieces for which the genesis of the artist’s early youth is not without significance. It is a composition of radiant expression, the body of which is made up of small-scale pieces created when he was just a child. The symphony consists of four movements, presented by Britten in a humorous way: Boisterous Bourrée, Playful Pizzicato, Sentimental Sarabande, Frolicsome Finale. This personal piece, intended for chamber orchestra, was first performed by an ensemble of amateur musicians in Norwich in 1934, conducted by Britten. In the catalogue of his works, an important place is also occupied by works drawing from native traditions, both literary and musical. These include songs such as Vigil from the collection Tit for tat, to the text of the artist’s favorite poet, Walter de la Mare, or The Ash Grove, based on the melody of a Welsh folk song. In Lachrymae for viola and strings op. 48a, the composer quotes fragments of a moving, melancholic love song by John Dowland from the early seventeenth century – If my complaints could passion move.