Like many others, I too, celebrated Mozart’s 250th birthday by attending a concert on a Saturday evening. It was under the most trying and somewhat non-congenial circumstances that the concert was attended by a scurrying, breathless three-some. So keen was I, that nothing seemed to deter my spirits, nor was the enthusiasm of my mates any less. That said, I found myself contemplating and questioning, “Who am I?” Sound philosophical, do I? Well, that’s not my intent. So who am I, once again? A lover of pleasant sounds! A lover of music! (Keep in mind I am not a Music Major and nor am I too deeply involved with any form of art). The role I play is that of the appreciating audience or of a poor (without considering technical aspects) critic, when it comes to classical music. So I was quite taken by surprise when my untrained mind gave me an overwhelmed reaction when it was exposed to a whole new world – the world of Mozart!
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 in Salzburg, Austria. This year marks his 250th birth anniversary, which, for music lovers is a great event all over the world. I too wondered what the hullabaloo was all about; till I let the heavenly sounds enter my ears. Coming back to Mozart – the child prodigy was, so to speak, blessed with musical gifts and started composing music at the early age of five. He is said to be the greatest asset to European classical music and not just was he radical in his compositions, he was also brilliant. Mozart played for the royal family in Austria in English and French. He died at the young age of 35 on December 5, 1791 of some mysterious illness.
I am going to only write about what I know and what I have heard so far. Therefore, this write-up will only describe three pieces of Mozart in detail… the ones I heard.
“Paradies”, Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat Major, K.456
Maria Theresia von Paradis, daughter of an imperial court secretary and herself a musician asked Mozart to compose a piano concerto for her which is called ‘Paradies’, after her name. The scoring calls for solo piano, strings, one flute, and pairs of oboes, bassoons and horns. The concerto begins with a march-like rhythmic pattern and later the notes drop so low that it could leave you breathless, even as an audience.
Sinfonia concertante in E-flat Major, K.364
Sinfonia concertante means a concerto for multiple soloists, and in this case it was for four wind players. Mozart was asked to compose this while he was in Paris. This piece pitted groups of players against one another, the Sinfonia concertante made soloists achieve contrast and in a wide variety of combinations. The scoring consists of solo violin and viola, two oboes, two horns and strings.
Piano Concerto No. 19 in F major, K.459
This was the grand finale and yes, it did have us spell-bound by the sheer energy it created in the hall. This was completed in December 1784 and is sometimes referred to as the “First Coronation”. Mozart performed it during the festivities surrounding the crowning of Leopold of Austria in 1790. It is scored for strings, a flute and pairs of oboes, bassoons, and horns. The solo piano in this piece was absolutely gorgeous – it was a contrasting and very often the only sound for gaps of whole 5 minutes. The pitch at one point was so low that it sounded like a bird twittering in solitude…contrast this with pin-drop silence otherwise! An absolute masterpiece!
A point worth mentioning is that while so many musicians assembled in one place was exciting to watch, it also created a sense of awe for the original composer (Mozart). The mind and body coordination is commendable and the conductor of the concertos seemed to be on his toes throughout. With about 36 musicians in all, it is no easy task to play the piano as well as to direct the show.
My introduction to the music of Mozart was an experience worth writing about. Now I wonder…Can I successfully express even half of what I encountered? I GUESS NOT!
Ps: I could not find a better place to fit this review in.