MOZART’S CZECH MATES
Mozart felt that the people of Prague appreciated his music more than anyone else, and many of the most influential and highly regarded composers during his lifetime were Bohemians. This dynamic programme is framed by vibrantly dramatic G minor symphonies by two of the most successful composers working in Vienna during the 1780s, and it also features three arias with links to Prague – including a remarkable concert aria that Mozart wrote for the celebrated Czech soprano Josefina Dušek – and a scene from Benda’s visceral melodrama Medea.
| Sample Programme | |
| Vanhal | Symphony in G minor (g2) |
| Gluck | “Se mai senti spirarti sul volto” from La clemenza di Tito |
| Mozart | Concert aria, “Belle mia fiamma… Resta, o cara”, K. 528 |
| Interval | |
| Mysliveček | “Se mai senti spirarti sul volto” from La clemenza di Tito |
| J. Benda | Scene from Medea |
| Kozeluch | Symphony in G minor |
Forces: 1 singer / speaker, 2.2.0.2. – 2.0.0.0. – strings, harpsichord
Sturm und Drang
Volume 3
Released on Signum Classics in 2023
“The bomb-proof technical standard of the playing would surely have delighted Mozart. And winsome justice is done to the beautiful slow movements of Kozeluch’s and Haydn’s symphonies. But the stand-out feature here is the sensational contribution of American soprano Emily Pogorelc, who is rapidly becoming a star on the European operatic scene. Her singing here has superb technical sureness, state-of-the-art command of the music’s wild emotional switchbacks, and firework-display virtuosity to match.”
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE
“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
