We cordially invite you to the last of the concerts crowning the 2019/2020 season! The programme includes compositions by Franz Xaver Richter, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. They will be played by the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic orchestra, and Andrzej Kosendiak will conduct.
The concert begins with the Symphony in D major by Richter, a Classicist composer. He was one of the representatives of the Mannheim school, gathered around the prince’s orchestra playing in this city. The artists belonging to the school, contributed to the orchestra’s development and laid the foundations for the works of Joseph Haydn and Mozart with their achievements. Their achievements paved the way for later works of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The achievements of the latter will be represented by the youthful Symphony in G minor KV 183, the first of Mozart’s two symphonies in this key. Due to the relatively small size and short duration, it is called the “Little Symphony in G minor”, but this title is a bit misleading and maybe even a little dismissive. It is a mature, engaging and unexpectedly dramatic piece.
Incidental music written by Beethoven to the Ruins of Athens, a play of August von Kotzebue, is a marginal work by the Viennese genius. Of the eleven compositions that were made for the drama, only two, often presented separately, survived in the repertoire: the Turkish March and the short Overture that will sound during this concert. The melancholic and sombre introduction at the tempo of Andante strongly contrasts with the joyful main theme.
The evening will culminate in Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 in D major – completed in 1802 and dedicated to Prince Karl Alois Lichnowsky. In this composition written for an aristocrat, Beethoven broke the convention and departed from court culture. While the symphony writers of the time customarily placed an elegant dance – minuet in the third movement, Beethoven replaced it with a brawl scherzo. This word means “joke” in Italian and refers to a usually light and funny work. The finale is also kept in the same tone. Beethoven’s jokes did not appeal to Viennese critics. One of them wrote disgustedly that the new work reminds him of a dragon who writhes in convulsions and cannot die! This composition, however, survived in the repertoire and still captivates listeners with its playful mood and great load of energy.