The Magic of Mozart's Music (魔力莫扎特)

Mozart (1756-1791) is one of my favourite composers. There are very few of his compositions which I have heard and which I don't like. Although he may have re-used some of his melodic motifs in different compositions, he always manages to give them a new feel because the context is different so that it's never really the same. Last night, I had the chance to sample some of his compositions at the City Hall. Under its guest conductor Gérard Korsten, the Music Director of the London Mozart Players and the Principal Conductor of the Symphonieorchester Vorarlberg Bregenz, the HKPO gave us the Overture together with Chaconne, Pas Seul, Passpied, Gavotte and Passacaille of his ballet Idomeneo, his Violin Concerto No. 3 in G in Allegro, Adagio and Rondeau in Allegro and finally  his Symphony No. 39 in E Flat, all popular Mozart pieces.

Idomeneo is a ballet based on the Greek mythological king of Crete, who returned from the battle at Troy, met a storm, promised Neptune to offer the first living thing he saw if he would help him survive, saw his own son as the first living being on Crete and is written in musical idioms familiar to the public of his time. The overture and dances were generally fast, furious and vigorous but also has more lyrical passages. The five dances include themes found in the opera of the same name itself and the theme in Gavotte was used later in the third movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25. It's a very lively piece, full of vigor and colorful orchestration.

The second piece in the evening is another one of Mozart's favourite works, his third violin concerto No. 3 with a gutsy first movement, a lyrical second and another very forceful third movement which ends quietly. Our soloist is a very lively Esther Yoo born in America, but raised in Belgium and who toured China and Korea with Lorin Maazel's Philharmonia Orcehstra last year. Her playing fits in quite well with the energetic conducting style of Korsten who conducts, like Gergiev without any baton. As encore, she gave us one of Bach's variations on a theme.  

The second half of the concert consists of the first of the three last symphonies written by Mozart before he died, No. 39 in E flat, which he finished within barely one week, at a time when Mozart's health was failing and he was in dire need of money. The symphony opens ponderously but quickly becomes quite cheerful. The second is less energetic. The third too is also easy listening but the final movement starts off quite rhythmically and high spiritedly and continues with the characteristic Mozartian playfulness and cheerfulness until its very end. Mozart is Mozart, no matter how depressing his personal situation was at the time he composed it. So sorry I missed the last concert for which I bought the ticket because I was busy helping with the removal of our association premises. I was told by my concert friends that it was excellent..