Superb music-making (The Register)...Deeply moving and enchanting... (Subscriber, Mrs. Dolezal)

Laszlo Mezo

"Spring Blossoms" Sunday, May 19, 2024, 3:00 PM

From the intense gravity of the Schubert Allegro, to the brilliant virtuoso runs of the Concerto, to the  witty disarming humor of the Symphony, this particular concert program offers a truly diverse and mesmerizing musical ride. Better than any "E" ticket! The rarely heard Schubert work will challenge, László Mezö's interpretation of the Haydn Concerto will amaze and the Symphony will delight, elevate and make your spirit soar! Do not miss this concert and bring your friends...

Tickets

PROGRAM  NOTES by Ami Porat ©

Schubert (1797 – 1828) Allegro in c minor, D. 703

Long assumed to be an opening movement from an unfinished string quartet, more recent scholarship has shown that Schubert may have had orchestral designs in mind for this piece. A dramatic work of great intensity, the Allegro is a strong musical statement with a gentle lyrical side. Not unlike the famous unfinished symphony, this seemingly “unfinished” work seems quite complete and self-sufficient. The tense opening figure permeates the work and lends a great unifying force to the proceedings, supplying ample development opportunities. Composed in 1820, this gem was not heard in public performance until March 1, 1867, in Vienna. 

Haydn (1732 – 1809) Violoncello Concerto in C major

Written for cellist Antonin Kraft of Haydn's "own" Esterházy Orchestra, this masterpiece was lost for almost two hundred years and rediscovered in Prague in 1961. Haydn enjoyed writing show-pieces for the finest of his principal players. Kraft was his latest brilliant acquisition from the esteemed musical circles of Prague. Beauty and drama abound in the first movement themes while the Adagio gives way to a heartwarming flow of melodic gold. The Finale is a study in the mastery of motion, where the solo seeks to soar and go higher, held earth-bound  only by the insistent inertia of the orchestra.

Haydn (1732 – 1809) Symphony No. 80

Aware that Prince Esterházy, was not exactly a fan of the "Sturm und Drang" idiom, Haydn's Symphony No. 80 limits the “dramatico” to the opening chords and lines, contrasted by an exquisitely plain and beautiful second subject in the flute. Perhaps indicating his growing reach and fame, Haydn sold his manuscript to publishers in Vienna, Paris, and London. Following the more traditional Adagio and the Minuet movements we arrive at the true genius of this work, the Presto Finale. With simple syncopation, a little imitative musical conversation and a few pregnant pauses, Haydn attains the heights of musical humor, earning him timeless fame far beyond his native land. Noteworthy that Mozart performed this work in one of his concerts in 1785.