Classics
Concert
Sunday
November 16, 2003
at 3:30 PM
at St.
Michael Catholic Church
1801 Sage Road
Houston, Texas 77056
Divertimento
No. 2 in D, K.131
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Concerto for Horn and Orchestra No. 2 in Eb, K.417
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Lee Wadenpfuhl, soloist
Symphony No. 5 in C-minor, Op.67
Ludwig van Beethoven
i. Allegro con brio
ii. Andante con moto
iii. Allegro
iv. Allegro
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The divertimenti were written for a wide variety of instruments. Some of them may have been written after a group of musicians that was available to perform at a given function had already been contracted. Thus the first divertimento requires strings, two clarinets, two oboes, two English horns and two bassoons. But the fifth, which was written for a cavalry display, and therefore for outdoor use (but was clearly not a serenade) was written for two flutes, five trumpets and four drums. The Second Divertimento, which will be performed by the Sinfonietta in this concert, uses a more traditional orchestration: strings, one flute, one oboe, one bassoon, and four horns.
The Divertimenti have at least five movements. Although, several of the movements feature the entire ensemble, many of the movements, or their sections, may involve only one section of the orchestra: maybe just the strings, or some or all of the woodwinds, or just the horns by themselves. Since some of those movements may last several minutes, one can visualize in Mozart's time, the horn players, for example, wandering off to enjoy the weather, or have a drink, while the strings players were performing their movements. It was also possible to pick and chose the movements played, depending on how long the party lasted.
The Divertimento #2 starts with a lively Allegro for the entire ensemble. This is followed by an Adagio for strings. After the Adagio comes a Menuetto with three trios. At this point, one can chose one or the other trio as a complement to the menuetto or play all three trios interposing the menuetto after each trio. We have selected the first trio which features the four horns as a group. Then comes an Allegretto for the flute, the oboe and the strings, a second Menuetto with two trios and the Finale, an Adagio followed by an Allegro molto and ending in an even faster Allegro assai, in a quick 3/8 tempo. Since our party will not last very long, we will omit the second Menuetto and its two trios, and we will not allow any of our musicians to wander off while the piece is being performed!
No. 2 in Eb, K.417
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Lee Wadenpfuhl, soloist
Mozart has written
many concertos for one or two instruments. Among them are the four Horn
Concertos which he wrote for his friend Ignaz Leutgeb. Many of the horn
concertos were written in a jocular frame of mind, and the scores reflected
that by the less than serious comments Mozart added to the score and addressed
at the soloist.
The Second Concerto was written in 1783. Its first movement is
a graceful Allegro Maestoso, written in a charming and lyric style called
"singing allegro". In this style the melodic line reminds us of coloratura
singing. The second movement is an Andante again singing in character,
but designed to show the mellow tones that only the French Horn can produce.
The finale is a Rondo built on a hunting-call theme. That theme returns
after short contrasting episodes. The last return of the hunting-call
theme is taken at a slightly faster pace. One of the interesting and jocular
episodes depicts the barking of the hunting dogs another one of Mozart's
musically successful jokes.
Symphony
No. 5 in C-minor, Op.67
i. Allegro con brio
ii. Andante con moto
iii. Allegro
iv. Allegro
Ludwig van Beethoven
1770-1827
The first movement, Allegro con brio,starts with the briefest, most powerful and most famous symphonic themes ever written. This theme is repeated immediately with the last note held insistently and with power. According to Beethoven' s friend Anton Schindler, it was the composer himself who made the remark, "This is how fate knocks on the door". This vignette has been questioned by some musicologists, but more recently it has become credible again. The entire first movement is dominated by this short theme, sometimes loud, sometimes soft but always with a driving rythmic insistance. The second, more lyric theme in the first movement also derives from the first theme, even though the relationship is not immediately obvious.
The second movement , Andante con moto, has two themes. The first is a smootly flowing melody in A-flat Major played by the cellos and the violas, while the second is an assertive theme in C-Major derived from the first, but given to the brass. The two themes are first developed in variation form. Then they are developed more freely, at one point even increasing the tempo of the fist theme significanly, before closing the movement very quietly.
The third movement, an Allegro, is a scherzo which starts with a haunting melody in the low register and continues with the two horns suddenly blazing a threatening theme at a higher register. This threatening theme is again based on the famous motive that opens the symphony, the fate theme. The haunting theme in the cellos and the bassoons and the threatening theme in a much softer and less assertive form, are used to build up a feeling of suspense and anxiety which is resolved by the heroic theme of the Allegro in the fourth movement in the triumphant key of C-Major!
In this last movement it has been the tradition to use not two but four horns in order to emphasize the great fanfare. Beethoven himself thought of this movement in terms of BIG SOUND and in fact for the first time he introduces three trombones and makes very effective use of the piccolo flute. A second fanfare-like theme is introduced, the scherzo theme of the third movement is brought back, and the movement ends by recalling the principal theme of the finale in a brilliant coda.