Mozart's Piano concerto and "Prague" symphony | Festival "European Christmas"
Kristian Bezuidenhout, piano, leader
Sinfonietta Rīga
Programme:
Joseph Martin Kraus Overture for tragedy Olympie
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466,
Symphony No. 38 in D major, K. 504 (Prague)
The musical rendezvous of Sinfonietta Rīga and Kristian Bezuidenhout are always special and create long-lasting memories. The South African musician studied in Australia and New York, and has resided in London for a long time, but his sophisticated interpretations captivate audiences in the concert halls and festivals around the world. The brilliant pianist whose masterful touch makes the piano and the harpsichord sing, is particularly skilled with the fortepiano. He is a veritable expert of Mozart, as shown by his many wonderful and award-winning recordings of the Viennese grandmaster's music. Mozart, interpreted by Bezuidenhout, is the heart of this programme, which highlights two very different musical pieces from the 1780s. The so-called Prague Symphony has an unusual for his time three-part structure and signals Mozart's return to his beloved D major scale; in contrast, the Piano Concerto No. 20 is among the few examples of it genre that Mozart composed in D minor scale. Along with the Austrian genius we will hear his contemporary's, the "Swedish Mozart" Joseph Martin Kraus's overture, inspired by Voltaire's tragedy Olympie.