Franz Schubert composed his first opera at the age of seventeen. The Singspiel in three acts entitled Des Teufels Lustschloss (The Devil’s Pleasure Palace) was based on the libretto by August von Kotzebue. Oswald, the protagonist of the story, is called upon by his future father-in-law to perform various tests to prove that he is worthy of his lover’s hand. Oswald successfully passes the trials and so the opera has a happy ending. The first version of the work was completed in 1813 in less than six months, and it is said that Schubert did not attend his music lessons while he was working on the opera. It was only when he could show the finished work that he returned to his teacher, Antonio Salieri, who, although he resented the six-month absence, was willing to review the opera. Probably taking his teacher’s advice, Schubert revised the opera, and the new version was completed by 1814. However, the work was only premièred in Vienna in 1879 – more than 50 years after the composer’s death. To be performed tonight is the Overture, which is still the most popular and most performed part of the opera.
Beethoven, the third great figure of the Viennese Classical period after Haydn and Mozart, was more popular as a pianist than as a composer. Of his five piano concertos in total the first three were written in his early period, and still show the strong influence of Mozart and Haydn. Piano Concerto No. 3 is the only one of his piano concertos to be written in a minor key, what’s more in C minor, which was a tragic key for Beethoven from the beginning of his career. The concerto opens with an Allegro con brio, that is, a lively first movement, in which the strings immediately introduce the main theme. The piano will respond, and this exchange will continue, meaning that the orchestra will not merely accompany, but enter into and remain in dialogue with the piano almost as equals. This will be followed by a lyrical middle movement in E major, almost imperceptibly transitioning into the final movement, which ends in carefree merriment.
Mozart completed his Symphony in D major at the end of 1786, shortly before his trip to Prague, and it was premièred in Prague early the following year – that’s why the epithet ‘Prague’ was later attached to the name of the symphony – and it was a roaring success. Mozart himself conducted the concert and played the piano part. The trip to Prague was successful not only because of the performance of the symphony, but also because it was there and then that Mozart was commissioned to write Don Giovanni, in which the atmosphere and motifs of the Prague Symphony are detectable through and through. It is a work in three movements, and Mozart omitted the minuet movement because he knew that the people of Prague were used to symphonies without it. The D major key is one of brilliance, splendour and cheer. The first movement, Adagio – Allegro, is more voluminous than is usual for symphonies, followed by a sinister yet lyrical Andante movement, and then a moving, excitement-filled, more relaxed Finale, Presto movement concludes the work.
