From the Concert Hall...Magnificent Mozart

I recently attended an NZSO concert of Mozart, conducted by Andrew Grams.
The programme was the Overture from The Abduction of Seraglio, followed by the Sinfonia Concertante and then after interval, Symphony No. 40 in G minor.

It was really pleasing to see a full turnout for this popular programme.

The Sinfonia Concertante is a work I've played myself, on violin, with a fellow violist. We even had the opportunity to play the second movement solo with an orchestra, so I've had firsthand experience with the piece. It was amazing to get to see it played live! To me, the third movement especially is the epitome of Mozart and the character of his music at its finest: lively, whimsical, even a bit ironic. (Feel free to disagree - I may be biased by a particular affinity for final concerto movements). The combination of violin and viola gives Mozart two characters to use, and (as music teachers say) the operatic style of the writing is very apparent.

The soloists (Vesa-Matti Leppänen and Julia Joyce, usually the concertmaster and principal violist of the orchestra) played beautifully, almost too much so in that they made me think about how music is about more than just sounding beautiful. The characters of music sometimes demand that you sound harsh, strained, and angry, as well as silly, playful, or cute. And these sounds sometimes require a less beautiful and graceful style, but they are evocative and moving nonetheless. Especially in the third movement of the work, it seemed that the beauty and grace of the (very talented and accomplished) players overshadowed the playful, chirpy, and fun aspect of the music.

It was amusing to hear the audience gasp in delight at the very recognizable opening of Symphony No. 40. This work from late in Mozart's composing career is filled with contrasts and complexities, and it's so easy to spot the inspiration for Beethoven's style here. Moments of sunshine transform into anguish and passion through split-second transitions and there are frequent unexpected turns in the melodies. Watching the first couple of movements it occurred to me how difficult it is to play Mozart, both solo and orchestrally, and what a fine performance it was. The first movement is very rich in counterpoint and the orchestra held it together admirably. Again I found the fourth (and final) movement the most impressive both in playing and conducting. Andrew Grams' style was absolutely sublime in this last movement, reminiscent of Carlos Kleiber (my personal favorite conductor) at times, not showing the orchestra too much when they didn't need it, but drawing attention to interesting features that the audience needed help hearing, like scale runs in the 2nd violins and winds.

All in all, one of the most satisfying orchestral concerts I've attended in a long time.