Toledo Symphony

Description:

Our Mozart and More Series opens with some of the most majestic music written by Mozart’s contemporary and friend, Franz Joseph Haydn.

The trumpet has always been an instrument of nobles and royals; Haydn maintains this association while also adding a lyrical singing quality and an elusive grace that has made this concerto the pre-eminent solo work for the instrument.  Principal Trumpet Lauraine Carpenter will be the featured soloist.

Mozart wrote the opera Idomeneo at the age of twenty-five, and it is often viewed as his first mature operatic masterpiece.  At the time, operas were often presented alongside ballets written by other composers; Mozart forestalled this custom by writing his own ballet music, creating a more unified evening.  The concert ends with Haydn’s eighty-fifth symphony, subtitled La Reine.  Supposedly, this symphony was a favorite of Marie Antoinette’s. 

Points of Interest:

• Marie Antoinette was actually a favorite of Mozart’s.  When he was visiting the Hapsburg court, Mozart kissed her, then asked for her hand in marriage.  The piquancy of this story is somewhat diluted by these minor details: the kiss was on the cheek, and both prodigy and empress-to-be were only six years old at the time.
• The Haydn Trumpet Concerto was written at an interesting time in the instrument’s development.  The original (or natural) trumpet had neither valves or keys, and was limited by the overtone series to diatonic melodies and simple arpeggios.  Anton Weidinger, the commissioner of the concerto, had experimented tirelessly with the trumpet to overcome these limitations, ultimately coming up with a key system similar to that of woodwind instruments.  Today, the trumpet uses valves, which maintains the pitch flexibility of the keyed instrument while using the full power of the uninterrupted air column from mouthpiece to bell.

Media Sponsor:

Program:

Mozart             Ballet Music from Idomeneo    17’
                            Chaconne
                            Pas seul
                            Passe-pied
                            Gavotte
                            Passacaille
 
Haydn              Trumpet Concerto    15’
                            Allegro
                            Andante cantabile
                            Finale: Allegro                                             

Intermission

Haydn              Symphony No. 85 in B-Flat Major “La Reine”    22’
                            Adagio – Vivace
                            Romanza
                            Menuetto
                            Finale: Presto

WGTE - FM 91 broadcasts the Toledo Symphony on FM 91 In Concert. Tonight's concert will be broadcast Thursday, February 7, 2008, at 8:00 p.m. through the generosity of the Edward H. Schmidt Musical Arts Fund.