Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K.216
\nWolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 35 in D major (“Haffner”), K.385
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\nAntonio Salieri: Sinfonia Veneziana
\nWolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 36 in C major (“Linz”), K.425<\/p>\n
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Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra<\/strong> <\/p>\n Mozart and Salieri? Most music listeners are likely to think of Rimsky-Korsakov\u2019s one-act opera, Peter Shaffer\u2019s play Amadeus<\/em> or the classic film adaptation of it from the director Milo\u0161 Forman. Famous scenes, memorable jokes and, of course, one classic trope: the conflict between the Genius and the Mediocre Artist. At this concert, it is not the two composers themselves we will encounter, but rather their music, as we come to realise that it is not only Mozart\u2019s music that is thoroughly enjoyable: Salieri\u2019s is too.<\/p>\n It was one of the most unworthy acts of slander spread in music history, starting with contemporary rumours in the late 18th century and then dogging the innocent Antonio Salieri over the centuries, accusing him of poisoning Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart because he envied the talent of his younger, by six years, associate. In reality, Salieri was not only a great composer who enjoyed considerable success, he was also a generous man, having discovered and assisted Schubert when he was a child and taught the young Beethoven. Orphaned in early adolescence, Salieri was taken to Vienna by the well-known composer Florian Leopold Gassmann, who personally paid for his education there. In memory of this, Salieri himself would later on teach all of his students for free. At this concert, the music of Salieri and Mozart fits together peacefully. It is no coincidence that the first number of the second part, Salieri\u2019s Symphony in D major<\/em>, was given the moniker “Veneziana”<\/em>, as Salieri, born in the Venetian Republic, often appended the name Veneziano <\/em>to his signature.<\/em> From Mozart, the concert features a violin concerto and two significant mature symphonies, the “Haffner” <\/em>and the “Linz”. <\/em>What makes the evening special is having the great Lithuanian violin virtuoso Julian Rachlin not only play the Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major<\/em> to open the evening, but also conduct the entire programme.<\/p>\n
\nConductor and violinist: Julian Rachlin<\/strong><\/p>\n