Created to create tradition, what else could an international festival select for its opening concert than the works of a genius whose very name carries the message of God’s love? Amadeus. In 1779, after returning to Salzburg from his travels in Mannheim and Paris, the young Mozart wrote two works for two solo instruments: the Sinfonia Concertante in E flat Major (a ‘marriage’ made between symphony and concerto) for violin, viola and orchestra, and the Concerto for Two Pianos, also in E flat major. In the former, he probably meant to play the viola solo himself, while in the latter he would share the lead solos with his elder sister. The composer’s deep grief at this time (over the death of his mother and a disappointment in love) is particularly evident in the slow movement of the Sinfonia Concertante. Included to set the tone of the concert with its elevated harmonies, the Overture to the song-play The Magic Flute (1791) was also written in E-flat major, and is also interpreted as an allegory of “the human soul’s striving for inner harmony and enlightenment” (D. Koenigsberger). The Contessa’s aria in Act III of the opera buffa The Marriage of Figaro (1786) moves from disappointment and despair to the heights of rekindled love and hope. The concert is a collaboration between artists born in different parts of the Carpathian Basin, with pianist Apolka Bonnyai as artistic director.
ORGANISED BY:
Carpathian Basin Classical Music Festival Artistic Director of the Festival: Apolka Bonnyai
PROMOTED BY:
Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources
