Wolfgang was shaped by two cities: his birthplace, Salzburg, with which he had a love-hate relationship, and his chosen home of Vienna. Between the two, Linz was never more than a vacation stopover, but as you’ll hear, it was an especially fruitful ‘working holiday’ musically speaking.
Mozart’s first quintet, in B flat major K. 174, dates from a time when for once Salzburg was not getting on his nerves. If it’s your first encounter, you’re in for a treat.
A decade on, having ditched Salzburg for cosmopolitan Vienna and journeying home from an abortive attempt at family reconciliation, a mini honeymoon in Linz was interrupted by Mozart’s having to whip up a little something for the local nobility: a thirty-five-minute Symphony (No.36 K425), was written, printed and rehearsed in 5 days!
Erin has also chosen one of Mozart’s earliest original keyboard concertos, No.6 K238 (dating from 1776) and a familiar sonata with a misleading catalogue number. This concerto is rarely heard, so you’ll be lucky enough to encounter its beautiful slow movement, which looks ahead to one that’s heard very often indeed.
Rare gems and better-known works, led by the inimitable Erin Helyard, all performed on period instruments with AHE’s signature verve and style.
Program
MOZART String Quintet No. 1 in B-fat major K. 174
MOZART (arr. Helyard) Piano Concerto No. 11 in F major K. 413
MOZART Piano Sonata in B flat major K. 333 “Linz”
MOZART (arr. Cimador) Symphony No. 36 in C major K. 425 “Linz”
- Approx. 2 hours including interval
