STURM UND DRANG
‘Sturm und Drang’ (‘Storm and Stress’) was in its strictest sense a literary movement during the 1770s, whose general objectives were to frighten and perturb through the use of wildly subjective and emotional means of expression. Not surprisingly the movement was reflected in other art forms, and in music there was a profusion of intensely dramatic and turbulent minor-key works (some of which pre-dated the literary movement). The first three volumes of The Mozartists’ ongoing ‘Sturm und Drang’ recording series have all earned outstanding reviews, and this dynamic concert programme features tempestuous orchestral works, dramatically charged arias, and a visceral scene from Benda’s extraordinary melodrama Medea, much admired by Mozart.
| Sample Programme | |
| Mozart | Adagio & Fugue in C minor, K. 546 |
| Mysliveček | “Di chi m’oltraggia e sprezza” from Demetrio |
| Traetta | “Ombre cara… lo resto sempre a piangere” from Antigona |
| Gluck | “Dieux puissants… Jupiter, lance la foudre” from Iphigénie en Aulide |
| Beck | Symphony in G minor, Op. 3, No. 3 |
| Interval | |
| Benda | Scene from Medea |
| Haydn | Symphony No. 44 in E minor, ‘Trauer’ [OR Symphony No. 45 in F# minor, ‘Farewell’] |
Forces: 1 singer / speaker, 2.2.0.2. – 2.0.0.0. strings, harpsichord
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Sturm und Drang
Volume 3
Released on Signum Classics in 2023
“This makes for another exceptionally satisfying addition to a series that is special not just for the thought and scholarship that goes into it, but Page’s direction of his fine players. It is throughout beautifully balanced and paced, while at the same time musically highly insightful.”
EARLY MUSIC REVIEW
“Ian Page and his Mozartists deliver performances of the highest artistic standards mixed with a profound knowledge of a musical period that overflowed with emotional fervour and groundbreaking extremes.”
classicalmusicdaily.com
