Göteborgs Konserthus Mozart with Zacharias

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Piano Concerto No. 27 Mozart completed Piano Concerto No. 27 in January 1791, which was to be his last. Like other compositions from the same period, this concerto also exhibits muted contrasts, a harmonious interplay between soloist and orchestra, and simple and flowing melodic ideas. The lyrical beauty of the concerto is characteristic of Mozart's mature compositional style. In the concert we find some echoes of earlier compositions from the year before, especially the slightly bitter and disillusioned tone of the two "Prussian" string quartets in B flat major (K. 589) and F major (K. 590). In the first movement, Allegro, Mozart avoids all unnecessary virtuosity. The thematic ideas are fluid and elegant, but the seemingly superficial and gallant simplicity of the movement subtly hides the deepest distress and pain. The middle movement, Larghetto, is a lovely romance with a contrasting middle section. The piano introduces the main theme, a bel canto melody with a slightly mournful tone. This was originally the shepherd Fileno's recitative, “Bastano i pianti... è tempo di morire” (Enough with weeping... it is time to die), from Joseph Haydn's opera La fedelta premiata (1781). The well-known theme of the closing movement, Allegro, has the same melody as the song Sehnsucht nach dem Frühling (K. 596), which Mozart composed at the same time. The mood is happy and carefree with a vague sense of nostalgia. Andreas Konvicka

Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) String Quintet, arranged for string orchestra Anton Bruckner, the master of the great symphonies, wrote very few chamber music works. The string quintet in F major is probably the only one in the repertoire. It is surely no coincidence that he chose the string quintet with its more orchestral sound, when he finally finished in the years 1878-79 the request for a chamber music piece, which he had received 20 years earlier from the famous Hellmesberger Quartet. An overwhelming number of chamber music works, symphonies and other so-called cyclic works begin with an Allegro, as the first movement, has a powerful main theme and a more lyrical and singable side theme. Bruckner does the opposite in his quintet. The first movement has a calm tempo, Gemässig (i.e. moderate, equivalent to Moderato), the main theme is very lyrical and the contrasting secondary theme powerful. The second movement has the designation Scherzo: Schnell. It was considered too difficult by the commissioning ensemble and at the first performance Bruckner had replaced it with an Intermezzo. When the work was performed again in 1885, however, it was with the original scherzo, which opens with a fun folk theme. The slow movement, in various editions, has been designated Adagio or Andante quasi Allegretto. A twelve-measure long, very beautiful melody in violin 1 forms the main theme. A theme presented by viola 1 is an inversion of the main theme and can be considered a minor theme. The movement is undoubtedly the highlight of the quintet.

The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1905 and currently consists of 109 musicians. The orchestra is based in Gothenburg Concert Hall – a gem of functionalism on Götaplatsen square that has enchanted music lovers since 1935. Wilhelm Stenhammar was the orchestra’s Chief Conductor from 1907 until 1922. He gave the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra a strong Nordic profile and invited his colleagues Carl Nielsen and Jean Sibelius to collaborate with the orchestra. Under the leadership of Chief Conductor Neeme Järvi between 1982 and 2004, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra undertook a number of international tours and made a hundred or so album recordings while establishing itself as one of Europe’s foremost orchestras. In 1997 the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra received the title of the National Orchestra of Sweden. Since season 2017-2018 Santtu-Matias Rouvali is Chief Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. Since season 2019-2020 Barbara Hannigan is Principal Guest Conductor. Christoph Eschenbach was also Principal Guest Conductor of Gothenburg Symphony in the years 2019-2022 – together they formed a strong three-leaf clover consisting of three completely different types of artists. We are also extremely proud to be an official partner of soprano Barbara Hannigan’s mentor initiative Equilibrium, with focus on young singers and musicians who are just beginning their careers. Sten Cranner is the orchestra’s CEO and Artistic Director, while Gustavo Dudamel holds the title of Honorary Conductor and Neeme Järvi that of Principal Conductor Emeritus. Region Västra Götaland is owner of the orchestra. The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra works regularly with conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Joana Carneiro, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Christian Zacharias and Anja Bihlmaier.

Christian Zacharias started as a pianist and later became active as a conductor. He has been chief conductor of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Principal guest conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony and Artistic Partner of the St Paul Chamber Orchestra. He collaborates regularly with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Basel Chamber Orchestra, the Berlin Concert Hall Orchestra, the Orchester Nationale de Lyon and the Bamberg Symphony. Christian Zacharias is also a devoted chamber musician. As an opera conductor, he has led productions of Titus and The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Nicolai) and The Tales of Hoffman (Offenbach). Among his many critically acclaimed recordings are all of Mozart's piano concertos, Schumann's symphonies and symphonies by C P E Bach (MDG). Since 2020, Christian Zacharias holds the position of Principal Guest Conductor for the Sinfonica Do Porto Casa da Musica and since 2021 for the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada. Since the 2021-2022 season, he is associate conductor of the Orchester National d'Auvergne. In 2020, Zacharias was also named Honorary Conductor of the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra Bucharest. In general, the Classical-Romantic repertoire, especially Schumann, Brahms, Bruckner, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven, constitutes an important musical focus for him. He likes to supplement his programs with modern works, such as Schönberg, Britten or Bacewicz. As a pianist, he also gives solo evenings and lectures.

Christian Zacharias started as a pianist and later became active as a conductor. He has been chief conductor of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Principal guest conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony and Artistic Partner of the St Paul Chamber Orchestra. He collaborates regularly with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Basel Chamber Orchestra, the Berlin Concert Hall Orchestra, the Orchester Nationale de Lyon and the Bamberg Symphony. Christian Zacharias is also a devoted chamber musician. As an opera conductor, he has led productions of Titus and The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart), The Merry Wives of Windsor (Nicolai) and The Tales of Hoffman (Offenbach). Among his many critically acclaimed recordings are all of Mozart's piano concertos, Schumann's symphonies and symphonies by C P E Bach (MDG). Since 2020, Christian Zacharias holds the position of Principal Guest Conductor for the Sinfonica Do Porto Casa da Musica and since 2021 for the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada. Since the 2021-2022 season, he is associate conductor of the Orchester National d'Auvergne. In 2020, Zacharias was also named Honorary Conductor of the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra Bucharest. In general, the Classical-Romantic repertoire, especially Schumann, Brahms, Bruckner, Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven, constitutes an important musical focus for him. He likes to supplement his programs with modern works, such as Schönberg, Britten or Bacewicz. As a pianist, he also gives solo evenings and lectures.