Serenade

About

Tonight’s two composers were both great melodists, one rooted in the dramatic world of opera and the other in the music of his native Bohemia. Mozart’s playful Horn Concerto No. 2 captures his teasing, good-natured friendship with Joseph Leutgeb, one of the finest horn players of his time and a colleague of Mozart’s father Leopold in Salzburg. When Mozart came to write concertos for Leutgeb in Vienna, he saw a chance to poke fun at his old friend, and dedicating this work: “Wolfgang Amadé Mozart takes pity on Leutgeb, ass, ox, and simpleton, at Vienna, 27 March 1783.” In his Serenade for Strings and Czech Suite, Dvořák’s music flows naturally, with a sense of immediacy and informality. Invigorating Czech folk rhythms contrast with music of lyrical warmth and tenderness. This concert is generously sponsored by Alison Allcard, in memory of Malcolm.