Événement

Grand Harmonie: Mozart, Weber, and Schubert

Grand Harmonie is dedicated to historically-informed performances of music from Mozart to Brahms on the instruments for which it was written. Our concerts range from intimate salon-style events, to large-scale chamber performances, to orchestral concerts and opera. Grand Harmonie brings together a rich and diverse community of wind and brass players centered in Boston and New York whose interests span the full range of Western art music. On March 10, we perform a program of Mozart, Weber and Schubert under the baton of Boston Consevatory's Andrew Altenbach.

The centerpiece of our program is the American period-instrument premier of Harvard Professor Robert Levin's reconstruction of Mozart's rarely-performed Sinfonia Concertante for four winds and orchestra. One of America's foremost musicologists and world-renowned Mozart expert, Professor Levin has made extensive study of the Sinfonia Concertante. Through his research he uncovered the work's fascinating history, full of itinerant soloists, artistic power struggles, and anonymous copyists. Professor Levin himself will be joining us for this project, delivering a pre-concert lecture accompanied by live demonstrations from the soloists.

Of the other works on the program, two are already audience favorites. Weber's overture to the opera Der Freischütz features perhaps the most famous horn quartet writing of the early 19th century, and listeners will have the pleasure of hearing it played on natural horns, as the composer originally intended. Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony needs almost no introduction, with its haunting opening in the low strings and sublime slow movement, but the use of classical trombones will lend our performance a special nobility. As an extra treat, we will also present Mozart's Divertimento K.131, a seldom-performed work by the 16-year old prodigy featuring solo flute, oboe, bassoon, and a horn quartet in playful conversation with a string orchestra.

Program:
Weber, Overture to Der Freischütz
Mozart, Divertimento K131
Mozart, Sinfonia Concertante K297B, reconstructed by Robert Levin. Featuring Andrea LeBlanc, flute; Kristin Olson, oboe; Yoni Kahn, horn; and Elizabeth Hardy, bassoon
Schubert, Symphony No. 8 ("Unfinished")

With a special pre-concert lecture by Robert Levin at 2:30pm