Overture Magazine: 2016-2017 Season May-June 2017 | Page 21

program notes {
included Charles Schlueter, Adolph
Herseth, Roger Voisin and Gene Young.
Andrew Balio last appeared as
soloist with the BSO in July 2016,
performing Copland’s Quiet City,
Nicholas Hersh, conductor.
About the concert:
Symphony No. 29 in A Major
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Born in Salzburg, Austria, January 27, 1756;
died in Vienna, December 5, 1791
With his Symphony No. 29 in A Major,
Mozart became a fully mature creator,
speaking with a voice unlike any of the
composers who had come before him.
Perhaps the summer and early fall of
1773, which Mozart spent in Vienna,
spurred this final maturation. During
this time, he was exposed to a great
deal of new music, including Haydn
string quartets. In this symphony, we
hear conventions Mozart had used
before: a slow movement of reticent,
courtly style, a crisply energetic minuet,
a dashing hunting finale. But somehow
these conventions have been elevated to
something greater, more complex and
subtler in tone. Two miracles of this
enchanting work are its perfect balance
between grace and energy, and Mozart’s
ability to draw the maximum color and
expression out of a very small orchestra
composed of a few strings and pairs of
oboes and horns.
The equilibrium between lyrical
grace and vigorous energy is best heard
in the sonata-form first movement.
Unusual for this period, Mozart begins
his symphony very softly, but intensity
seethes underneath in a dramatic octave
plunge to launch the principal theme and
harmonic unrest. A series of charming
melodic ideas form the second subject,
culminating in a lovely imitative duet
between first and second violins. The
middle development section packs
maximum excitement in minimum
space, beginning with fast scales chasing
each other around the string parts and
ending with a tenderly reflective passage.
Movement two is a superb example of
how much color and atmosphere Mozart
can draw from his ensemble. This is a
very hushed and refined movement using
muted strings, courtly rhythms, exquisite
ornamental figures and chromatically
altered notes for rich harmonic color. Yet
while it has the manners of Rococo court
music, it also has a sadness, a depth of
feeling that is pure Mozart. The plangent
tones of the woodwind quartet contribute
to this effect. Only for the last phrase of
this misty music do the strings remove
their mutes, letting the sunshine through.
Very crisp rhythms dominate the
third-movement minuet, and they have
a brusque energy as well as a touch of
impudence and aggression. Here is an
early example of Mozart’s rebellious spirit
sabotaging convention.
Experience the power
of the human voice.
Baltimore’s finest singers present art songs, arias, and
vocal chamber music in an intimate and relaxed setting.
ConCert dates
■
■
■
■
Sunday,
Sunday,
Sunday,
Sunday,
June 11 at 6:30
August 27 at 6:30
October 22 at 6:30
December 17 at 6:30
A ll per for m A nces w ill tA k e pl Ace At :
first christian church, 5802 roland Ave., Baltimore, mD 21210
tick ets A nD mor e infor m Ation:
www.baltimoremusic ales.org
Phone: [phone]
Baltimore Musicales is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Find us on Facebook and Twitter @BaltMusicales
May– June 2017 |
O v ertur e
19