WRTI's Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert broadcast on Sunday, May 2nd at 1 PM on WRTI 90.1 and Monday, May 4th at 7 PM on WRTI HD-2 celebrates Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart—the prodigy, and the master. Join us to hear performances of his first symphony, written at age eight, and his final one, the 41st, composed a quarter century later.
Before intermission of this all-Mozart concert performed at Verizon Hall in January 2017, Philadelphia Orchestra Principal Bassoon Daniel Matsukawa is soloist in Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto, offering plenty of opportunities for the bassoonist to shine, including a beautifully operatic slow movement. Guest conductor for this concert is the eminent Mozartean Jane Glover.
Since his earliest years, Mozart was recognized as one of the most extraordinary prodigies in the history of Western music, and toured extensively as a child. It was during an extended stay in London, in fact, that the boy—not yet 10 years old—underwent a series of scientific tests at the Royal Society to confirm that he wasn’t a fraud.
And it was at this very time that Mozart composed his First Symphony. Nearly 25 years later, in only six weeks during the summer of 1788, he composed his final three symphonies, works that mark the summit of his symphonic achievement.
The final Symphony No. 41 in C major, known as the “Jupiter,” a name applied after the composer’s death, reveals Mozart at his most technically brilliant. The final movement of the “Jupiter” is a compositional tour-de-force of counterpoint rivaling J.S. Bach.
Furthermore, Mozart’s symphonies had come full circle: he had used the principal theme of the "Jupiter" finale in the second movement of the First Symphony, 25 years before!
During intermission, WRTI’s Susan Lewis speaks with Dan Matsukawa, and Debra Lew Harder goes backstage with Jane Glover.
Detailed program notes from the concert
PROGRAM:?
Mozart: Symphony No. 1
Mozart: Bassoon Concerto?
Daniel Matsukawa, bassoon
INTERMISSION?
Mozart: Symphony No. 41?
Jane Glover, conductor
Listen to The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert broadcasts every Sunday at 1 pm on WRTI 90.1 FM, online at WRTI.org, and on our mobile app! Listen again every Monday at 7 PM on WRTI HD-2. Gregg Whiteside is host.
