The overture to Don Giovanni provides more than a hint of the drama to follow. The supremely ominous opening music recurs when the statue of the Commendatore comes magically to life to demand that Don Giovanni repent his misspent life, before the music hurries off with the exuberance, vitality and virility of the Don, interrupted by suggestions of the conflict that he inevitably brings upon himself.

Piano Concerto No.21 was written at the same time as Don Giovanni and shares a very operatic character with constantly unfolding drama through extreme emotional contrasts. The slow movement in particular stands as a sublime example of melodic perfection served by a harmonic language and level of dissonance which must have astounded audiences of the late 1700s. This is one of Mozart’s most profound and endlessly revealing works. In one seemingly unbroken arc, the piano traces a melody that floats over a quiet, pulsating accompaniment.

The opera Idomeneo was composed for the Carnival season in Munich in 1780, performed by musicians from the legendary Mannheim Orchestra. This was the orchestra whose virtuosity set the standard of the day in classical style. The ballet music comprises four dances including the turbulent chaconne which almost amounts to a mini symphony in itself with touches of the drama that we find in the Haffner, plus in its quieter sections some of the gentler string charm of the Symphony No.29.

Symphony No.29 was the last of seven symphonic creations written by Mozart in 1773. It established a new depth of feeling which is in evidence from the very beginning. It opens with an intense but lyrical theme in the strings, which is presented in a quiet, subdued manner before being proclaimed in all its glory. This new spirit shows itself in all the movements - the andante is pensive and delicate, the minuet is at turns graceful and powerful and the spirited finale yields the most dramatic development section Mozart had yet produced.

Works Performed

Mozart : Don Giovanni Overture

Mozart : Piano Concerto No.21 K467

Mozart : Idomeneo Ballet Music

Mozart : Symphony No.29

conductor Nicholas Collon, soloist Jasminka Stancul (piano)

Tickets £36

01392 667080

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