첫 멋 Belfast Music Society Celebrity Concerts

THE LONDON MOZART PLAYERS (Chamber Ensemble) Till Eulenspiegel einmal anders Horn Quintet in Eb, K407 Octet in F, D803 INTERVAL Saturday 16 October 1993 Elmwood Hall 7.30 pm Supported by the NO) ARTS COUNCIL Strauss Mozart Schubert

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Massbank grogloW Till Eulenspiegel einmal anders - 1- ***** Richard Strauss 1864-1949 The many legends surrounding the medieval hero Till Eulenspiegel ('Owlglass') have proved a fruitful source of inspiration for composers. In 1894, Strauss began to sketch an opera on the subject, but he soon abandoned this for an orchestral tone-poem, his fourth, first performed in November 1895. Strauss cast the work in the form of a rondo, with key melodic motifs alternating with episodes describing some of Till's adventures - causing havoc in the market, mocking religion, falling in love, confusing some learned academics, and so on, becoming more and more reckless until he oversteps the mark, and finally expires on the gallows. From its famous opening horn motif (often to be heard emerging from backstage before the members of an orchestra take their seats on the platform!) the orchestration of "Till" is particularly noteworthy; indeed, in the words of Strauss's biographer Norman del Mar - "This is virtuoso orchestral writing the like of which had never been seen before." So, is it desirable (or possible) to make a 'chamberised' version of the work? Well, you must listen and judge for yourself. All that needs to be observed is that this version was not made by Strauss but by an obscure musician by the name of Franz Hasenöhrl.

Horn quintet in Eb, K407 allegro andante rondo: allegro -2- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756-1791 enabne lemnis logsigand Like the concertos for that instrument, Mozart's horn quintet was composed for his cheese-merchant friend Ignaz Leutgeb. The composition of all the horn works cost Mozart much time and effort, not because he did not like the horn but because the instrument was still in its primitive valve- less form and had only a limited range of playable notes (horn players had devised ways of producing additional notes, with varying degrees of 'in- tune-ness'). To write successfully for the instrument thus required careful study, which Mozart obviously undertook as all the horn works have thoroughly idiomatic parts. From the virtuosity of the solo writing in all the works, including the quintet which is really a chamber concerto, it is obvious that Leutgeb was a talented performer. The poor man also had to cope with the composer's sense of humour (Mozart wrote rude comments over some of the horn parts, and also wrote some of the manuscripts in coloured inks - presumably to make them harder to read!) The horn's 'accompaniment' is not scored for the usual string quartet line- up, with two violins, but for the unusual combination of violin, two violas and cello, providing a warmer sound. After a suitably fanfare-like call to attention, the first movement has two main themes, one slightly swaggering, the second more jaunty. Einstein described the slow movement as a love-duet between horn and violin, an apt description indeed. The quintet, like the concertos, ends with a lively rondo, with a catchy main theme.

Octet in F, D803 adagio-allegro adagio scherzo and trio andante and variations minuet and trio andante-molto allegro - 3- Franz Schubert 1797-1828 Schubert worked on his octet in the early part of 1824, completing it on March 1st of that year. It is one of a long line of works for larger chamber ensemble, generally for wind, or a mixture of wind and strings, dating from the first half of the eighteenth century. Like them, it follows in the footsteps of Beethoven's immensely popular Septet of 1800. In fact the octet was specifically commissioned (by the clarinettist Count Ferdinand Troyer, an employee of Beethoven's friend Archduke Rudolph) to serve as a companion work to the septet. Both works have six movements, and the instrumentation is the same too - clarinet, bassoon and horn, violin, viola, cello and bass - with the octet adding a second violin. Troyer's part in the creation of the octet is recognised by the important role often given to the clarinet. Although the work has much of the character of a serenade, the first MOT movement is built on a symphonic scale and from the outset reveals Schubert's love of wandering far from his home key into unexpected tonal domains. The slow movement is in Schubert's most lyrical song vein, with an important part for Troyer's clarinet. The exuberant scherzo is, like the first movement, rather undisciplined in the matter of tonal progress; the rather plodding trio section provides a sharp contrast. For the theme of his variations, Schubert took a melody from his opera Die Freunde von Salamanka (recently revived at the Edinburgh Festival). The present writer

- 4- detects a Gilbert-and-Sullivan-like ring to this theme, but considering the pioneering work done by Sullivan in rediscovering Schubert, it should not really be surprising to find some of the latter's idiom rubbing off on the Englishman! The variations are technically uncomplicated, and commentators have been quick to criticise them for this reason. The clarinet comes to the fore again in the beautiful minuet. The finale, unexpectedly, begins with a slow introduction, dramatic and tonally misty. Eventually this clears, and the anticipated lively finale ensues. However, before the work can end in this optimistic fashion, there is a brief but sudden darkening of the mood again. The octet was given two private performances in Schubert's life-time, with leading Viennese musicians, including the famous Schuppanzigh Quartet (who premiered both Schubert's and Beethoven's late quartets). It did not appear in print, however, until 1853, as opus 166, and then it was shorn of both the variation and minuet movements! The complete octet was not published until 1889, 65 years after its composition. TONIGHT'S ARTISTS Alec Macdonald, 1993 15.12 The London Mozart Players is London's longest established chamber n orchestra. Since the beginning it has always been active as a touring g orchestra, making frequent visits abroad, recording with Decca, Chandos and ASV Records, and now fulfilling more than a hundred engagements a year outside London. In July 1992 it appointed the eminent Swiss conductor, Mattias Bamert, to the position of Music Director.

-5- The London Mozart Players Chamber Ensemble consists of the principals of the string, woodwind and brass sections of the renowned orchestra of the same name. Many of these players are well-known solo and chamber musicians in their own right. Since first appearing as a separate entity in 1985, the ensemble has established a wide reputation as "Mozart interpreters of the first rank". The Belfast Music Society gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Ulster Carpet Mills Ltd. NEXT RECITAL Sarah Walker - Soprano Roger Vignoles - Piano Saturday 11 December 1993 Elmwood Hall, 7.30 pm