MOZART: Symphony No. 1

Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major, K. 16 (1764)

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791)

On April 23, 1764, Leopold Mozart of Salzburg descended upon London for the purpose of displaying the astounding musical gifts of his precocious daughter, Maria Anna (“Nannerl,” age twelve), and son, “the miracle that God permitted to be born in Salzburg,” Wolfgang Amadeus (eight, though Leopold claimed him to be a year younger for publicity purposes). Just four days later, the Mozarts appeared before the German-speaking King George III and Queen Charlotte at court, where they won the enthusiastic advocacy of Johann Christian Bach, youngest son of Johann Sebastian, one of London’s most successful composers and impresarios and Master of the Queen’s Music.

On August 5th, Leopold got sick. London was too promising for them to abandon just then, however, so as Nannerl explained, “we rented a country house in Chelsea, outside the city of London, so that father could recover from his dangerous throat ailment, which brought him almost to death’s door.... Since our father lay dangerously ill, we were forbidden to touch the keyboard and therefore, in order to occupy himself, Wolfgang composed his first symphony.... At last, after two months, when father had completely recovered, we returned to London.” On February 21, 1765, Leopold produced a concert at the Haymarket Theatre that probably included the Chelsea symphony, and perhaps movements from four others Wolfgang is thought to have written during the intervening months (K. 16a, K. 19, K. 19a and K. 19b; K. 16a and 19b are lost); another orchestral concert followed on May 13th. By the end of July, Leopold was ready to return to the Continent, and, as a memento of their residency in London, he deposited in the British Museum the manuscript of God Is Our Refuge (K. 20), Mozart’s only English-language composition.

It is uncertain whether the Chelsea symphony is actually the Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major, K. 16 (placed first in Breitkopf und Härtel’s complete edition of Mozart’s works, begun in the 1870s). Even if the E-flat Symphony and the Chelsea symphony are not the same work, the E-flat Symphony certainly dates from the months in London, and cogently represents the musical personality of the eight-year-old Mozart. The work consists of a pleasant opening movement in sonata form, a somber Andante in two-part structure, and a dashing sonata-rondo for the finale.

MOZART: Violin Concerto No. 4

Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major, K. 218 (1775)

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791)

The D major Concerto opens with a mock-military fanfare, answered immediately by a balancing phrase of characteristic Mozartian suavity. The orchestral introduction continues with a lyrical contrasting theme presented by oboe and violins before the soloist enters. The movement’s central section is less a true development of earlier motives than a free fantasia of pearly scales and flashing arpeggios. The recapitulation begins without fuss as the soloist tosses off an altered version of the main theme. The remaining themes are recalled before the soloist is allowed a cadenza. The second movement is sonatina in form (sonata without development section) and moonlight-tender in mood. In contrast, the finale is dance-like and outgoing, an ingenious international blend of open-faced Italian melody, French elegance and German structural sophistication in its blend of rondo and sonata forms.

MOZART: Concertone for Two Violins, Oboe, Cello, and Orchestra

Concertone for Two Violins, Oboe, Cello and Orchestra in C major, K. 190 (K. 166b) (1773)

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791)

The Concertone, written when he was seventeen, is Mozart’s first original concerto, his earlier works in the form having been arrangements of music by other composers. He seems to have intended the unusual title to mean “grand concerto,” and it is indeed large both in its group of soloists led by the two violins and in its temporal length. It is his only so-named work; there is evidence of a few other concertones by his contemporaries (the Salzburg Kapellmeister, for example, placed an order for such pieces with Joseph Mysliveczek in November 1777; two were delivered in January), though none of that music is known to exist. As with many of Mozart’s early works, the Concertone quarries several stylistic mines: French, in its instrumental layout, forceful opening coup d’archet or “first stroke of the bow,” and general galanterie; Italian, in its lyricism and a certain formal prolixity then characteristic of Milanese instrumental works; Mannheim, in some of its melodic gestures and exploitation of orchestral resources; and Viennese, in its harmonic daring and thematic development. Mozart’s melodic fecundity, everywhere evident in the Concertone’s three movements, here leads to a looseness of form that he was not fully able to remedy until the last three Violin Concertos of 1775. Much of the interest in the Concertone therefore lies in his handling of the concertante group, which at times extends even beyond the four designated soloists to include a second oboe, a double bass and a pair of violas. While it only hints at the sublime concerted works that he would later write, the C major Concertone is filled with true Mozartian charm, grace and beauty.

MOZART: Symphony No. 29

Chamber Orchestra Vienna – Berlin

The Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras stand as two fundamental pillars of orchestral excellence. Despite sharing decade-long collaborations with esteemed conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler, Herbert von Karajan, and Claudio Abbado, audiences and critics alike acknowledge their contrasting identities. The noble Viennese are defined by smooth elegance and velvety strings; whereas, the captivating, passionate Berliners speak to the virtue of brilliant wind soloists. The sensation that is ‘Chamber Orchestra Vienna-Berlin’ emerged from Sir Simon Rattle’s dream for his 50^th Birthday Celebration: to unite both orchestras on one stage for the first time. This concert of epic proportions uncovered a mutual ambition and ability to combine chamber-music-like delicacy with symphonic force. The ensemble, which represents the essence of both orchestras by putting forth their most renowned musicians, looks to create a unique creative exchange where refinement of technique, enormous flexibility, and specific beauty of sound result in exciting experiences for musicians and audiences alike. Since the formation of the ‘Chamber Orchestra Vienna –Berlin’ in 2012, the ensemble has toured across Europe and Asia with featured soloists Yefim Bronfman, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Jonas Kaufmann, Antoine Tamestit, Gautier Capucon, Gabor Boldoczki, Denis Matsuev, Yuja Wang, and Daniel Müller-Schott. Rainer Honeck (concert master of the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera since 1984 and concert master of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra since 1992) acts as primarius and Artistic Director of the Orchestra.

Photo: Philipp Horak

Paul Huang, violin

Recipient of the prestigious 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 2017 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists, violinist Paul Huang is celebrated for his eloquent music making, distinctive sound, and effortless virtuosity. The Washington Post proclaimed Mr. Huang as "an artist with the goods for a significant career" following his recital debut at the Kennedy Center.

His recent and forthcoming engagements include his recital debut at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland, Aspen Music Festival, as well as appearances with the Mariinsky Orchestra with Valery Gergiev (St. Petersburg's White Nights Festival), Berliner Symphoniker with Lior Shambadal (Philharmonie Berlin debut), Detroit Symphony with Leonard Slatkin, Houston Symphony with Andres Orozco-Estrada, Orchestra of St. Luke's with Carlos Miguel Prieto, Seoul Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony and Grant Park Festival Orchestra with Markus Stenz, North Carolina Symphony and Charlotte Symphony with Gemma New, Buffalo Philharmonic with JoAnn Falletta, Pacific Symphony with Carl St. Clair, National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan with ShaoChia Lu and the Taipei Symphony with Jahja Ling (both in Taipei and on a U.S. tour). 2019-20 season will also see Mr. Huang giving the German premiere of Tan Dun’s Violin Concerto “Fire Ritual” with the Nuremberg Symphony with Kahchun Wong and appearances in the U.S. with the Tucson Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, Long Beach Symphony, Brevard Symphony, and Mobile Symphony.

Recital and chamber music performances this season will include Mr. Huang’s recital debut for People’s Symphony Concerts in New York, a recital tour across North America and Taiwan with pianist Helen Huang, as well as his debut at the Wolf Trap in Washington D.C. He will also return to Camerata Pacifica in Santa Barbara and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for three separate tours in the U.S., Europe, and the Far East.

Mr. Huang's recent recital engagements included Lincoln Center's "Great Performers" series and return engagement at the Kennedy Center where he premiered Conrad Tao's "Threads of Contact" for Violin and Piano during his recital evening with pianist Orion Weiss. He also stepped in for Midori with Leonard Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony to critical acclaim. Mr. Huang has also made debuts at the Wigmore Hall, Seoul Arts Center, and the Louvre in Paris.

His first solo CD, Intimate Inspiration, is a collection of favorite virtuoso and romantic encore pieces released on the CHIMEI label. In association with Camerata Pacifica, he recorded "Four Songs of Solitude" for solo violin on their album of John Harbison works. The album was released on the Harmonia Mundi label in fall 2014.

A frequent guest artist at music festivals worldwide, he has performed at the Seattle, Music@Menlo, Caramoor, Bridgehampton, La Jolla, Santa Fe, Moritzburg, Kissinger Sommer, Sion, Orford Musique, and the PyeongChang Music Festival in Korea. His collaborators have included Gil Shaham, Cho-Liang Lin, Nobuko Imai, Lawrence Power, Maxim Rysanov, Mischa Maisky, Jian Wang, Frans Helmerson, Lynn Harrell, Yefim Bronfman, and Marc-Andre Hamelin.

Winner of the 2011 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Mr. Huang made critically acclaimed recital debuts in New York and in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center. Other honors include First Prize at the 2009 Tibor Varga International Violin Competition Sion-Valais in Switzerland, the 2009 Chi-Mei Cultural Foundation Arts Award for Taiwan’s Most Promising Young Artists, the 2013 Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant, and the 2014 Classical Recording Foundation Young Artist Award.

Born in Taiwan, Mr. Huang began violin lessons at the age of seven. He is a proud recipient of the inaugural Kovner Fellowship at The Juilliard School, where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees under Hyo Kang and I-Hao Lee. He plays on the legendary 1742 “ex-Wieniawski” Guarneri del Gesù on extended loan through the Stradivari Society of Chicago. 

Photo credit: Marco Borggreve