Mozart and Korngold

Jörg Widmann conducts Korngold and Mozart

In 1784, the publicist Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart enthused about the clarinet: »The character of the clarinet is: emotion dissolved in love – so completely the tone of the sensitive heart«. Carl Maria von Weber was also captivated by the orchestral instrument, still young at the time – especially because of his artistic friendship with Heinrich Joseph Baermann, the renowned clarinetist of the Munich Hofkapelle, who premiered the handsome concertino in 1811: an effect-packed piece with a sumptuous introduction, splendid variations and a sparkling finale. We look forward to the virtuoso interpretation of Jörg Widmann, who will also guide us through two other scores. Korngold, who was considered a musical genius and was later in high demand as a film composer in Hollywood, occasionally returned to his homeland after the Second World War. In 1950, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra played his symphonic serenade for the first time – with its sparkling melodies and dreamlike and rich nuances, it exudes a big share of nostalgia in remembrance of the long-gone era of Romanticism. Mozart's popular G minor symphony was composed in 1788 in a time when he was barely making a living as a freelance artist in Vienna. It fascinates with its grandiose melodic inventiveness and its individual instrumentation sans timpani and trumpets. The music displays »mysterious shivers« in affects such as restlessness, agitation, lamentation and desperation – a profound masterpiece that the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung praised with the words: »It will never fail to make an impact, always irresistibly captivating and sweeping away the listener's soul.«

Mozart and Dvorák

In Mozart's fifth and final violin concerto, there is a new richness in the musical language compared to the previous ones. Here, the music is majestic and powerful. The soloist is Alva Holm, who in 2022 won Sweden's premier music competition: Solistpriset, the Soloist Prize. The citation stated: "With musical conviction, technical brilliance, and total presence, Alva Holm captivates the audience from the first note."The concert opens with a newly composed work by Tebogo Monnakgotla, one of Sweden's most acclaimed composers in her generation. The new piece is inspired by the natural phenomenon of the spring flood. To conclude Norrköping Symphony Orchestra's guest appearance under the baton of Ola Rudner, we hear Dvorák's life-affirming Eighth Symphony. It is nature-inspired music full of joy and exuberant energy. Swedish Ola Rudner began his career as a violinist and has been internationally active as both a violinist and conductor, notably in Austria.

Mozart and Strauss

"The time, it is a peculiar thing," that is perhaps the most well-known line from the opera "Der Rosenkavalier" by Richard Strauss. Perhaps because it is so true and we all occasionally ponder the mysterious passing of time. This can also be seen in this concert, which features excerpts from this opera and from "Die Frau ohne Schatten" on the program. Mozart was certainly ahead of his time when he wrote his famous Symphony No. 201. With it, he freed himself from his "father figure" Joseph Haydn and found his own style. On the other hand, his 26th piano concerto puts us in a festive mood, it is also known as the "Coronation Concerto" and is composed in a very "classical" style, it was meant to uplift the audience during the coronation of Leopold II in 1790.

Mozart and Strauss

"The time, it is a peculiar thing," that is perhaps the most well-known line from the opera "Der Rosenkavalier" by Richard Strauss. Perhaps because it is so true and we all occasionally ponder the mysterious passing of time. This can also be seen in this concert, which features excerpts from this opera and from "Die Frau ohne Schatten" on the program. Mozart was certainly ahead of his time when he wrote his famous Symphony No. 201. With it, he freed himself from his "father figure" Joseph Haydn and found his own style. On the other hand, his 26th piano concerto puts us in a festive mood, it is also known as the "Coronation Concerto" and is composed in a very "classical" style, it was meant to uplift the audience during the coronation of Leopold II in 1790.

Mozart and Glazunov

Mieczysław Weinberg's Sinfonietta No. 1 is a work full of lightness and accessibility. However, behind the optimistic sound lies a disturbing story. Composed in 1948, the piece was created in the midst of Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign. Officially celebrated as "bright and optimistic," it met political expectations without betraying Weinberg's progressive composition style. With hints of Jewish folk music, clever variations, and a touch of Shostakovich, it remains a fascinating balancing act between conformity and artistic freedom. Mozart's Piano Concerto KV 466 appears as a contrast, but in its key of D minor, it is also a work full of dramatic depth. Mozart wrote it during a time of personal upheaval and suffering. In a quasi-reconciliatory manner, the concert concludes with Glazunov's "The Seasons," bringing nature to life in vibrant orchestral colors.

Works by Mozart and Schubert

Works by Mozart and Beethoven

Works by Mozart and Chopin

Works by Mozart and Beethoven