Classical Period

Schubert’s Octet: A Journey to the Magic Land of Song

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Although they lived in Vienna as contemporaries, it is unclear if Schubert and Beethoven ever met. The two composers shared a mutual respect, but in many ways they were polar opposites. While Beethoven dazzled audiences as a revolutionary giant of the symphony, during his lifetime, Schubert was known almost exclusively for his songs. Publishers failed to take interest in Schubert’s instrumental works, and many, such as the “Great” C Major Symphony No. …

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Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major: Comic, Majestic, and Adventurous

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Mozart was at the height of his popularity in Vienna when, in March of 1785, he composed the Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467. In a letter dated March 12, two days after the Concerto’s premiere, Mozart’s father, Leopold, wrote to his daughter back home in Salzburg, We never get to bed before one o’clock and I never get up before nine. We lunch at two or half past. …

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Haydn’s Symphony No. 83 in G Minor: “The Hen” (La Poule)

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In 1784, Franz Joseph Haydn received a commission to write six symphonies (Nos. 82-87) from the board of directors of the Parisian concert society, the Concert de la Loge Olympique. The orchestra at Haydn’s disposal, which included 40 violins and 10 double basses, was far larger than the chamber ensemble of 25 players at the Esterházy Palace where Haydn was employed. According to musicologist Robbins Landon, “The musicians wore splendid ‘sky-blue’ dress …

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Remembering Kazuyoshi Akiyama

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Kazuyoshi Akiyama, the renowned Japanese conductor, passed away last Sunday, January 26. He was 84. Akiyama made his debut with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in 1964. The collaboration was so successful that, within two months, he was given the dual posts of music director and permanent conductor. He went on to serve as assistant conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (1968-1969), and music director of the American Symphony Orchestra (1973-1978). His reputation …

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Mozart’s Flute Quartet No. 1 in D Major, K. 285: Music for a Mannheim Merchant

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During the winter of 1777, Mozart spent three months in Mannheim, the German city which was renowned for having one of Europe’s most elite and cutting edge orchestras. Months earlier, the 21-year-old composer had resigned from a position which he found stifling in his hometown of Salzburg. Accompanied by his mother, he set out on a job hunt that would take him to Paris. Ultimately, the trip ended in disappointment. But while …

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Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”: Zerlina’s Tenderly Seductive Aria, “Vedrai, Carino”

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Blending comedy, melodrama, and the supernatural, Mozart’s 1787 opera, Don Giovanni, tells the story of an arrogant, promiscuous nobleman, who, before the final curtain, receives the ultimate hellish comeuppance. Don Giovanni attempts to seduce the peasant girl, Zerlina, and disarm her jealous fiancé, Masetto. At the beginning of the second act, Masetto and his friends look for Don Giovanni in order to kill him, but they are outsmarted by the cunning, disguised …

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Haydn’s Symphony No. 103 in E-Flat Major: The “Drumroll”

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Franz Joseph Haydn’s twelve “London” Symphonies (Nos. 93-104) arrived at a thrilling moment in music history. It was the early 1790s, and the tumultuous effects of the American and French Revolutions were rippling through society. London’s Hanover Square Rooms reflected the birth of the modern public concert hall, and gave “architectural expression to the growing and powerful sacralization of music.” (Blanning, The Triumph of Music) After 30 happy years in the employment …

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