Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Divertimento in D major, K. 136;
Oboe Concerto in C major, K. 314Johann Georg Albrechtsberger: Trombone Concerto in B-flat majorEdvard Grieg: Holberg Suite, Op. 40The second performance in our Concertino series will feature two emblematic string pieces, with a concert work before and after. The oboe and the trombone will take centre stage as soloists, brought to life by two of the BFO’s principals, Philippe Tondre and Balázs Szakszon.The Divertimento in D major, Mozart’s lively and succinct masterpiece, showcasing the pure sounds of the strings, introduces the essential piece of all oboists: Mozart’s only oboe concerto. “I like the inventiveness of the piece, and how incredibly alive it is. I love its long and lyrical phrases and the gentleness they exude. These melodies are constantly in my head and have become my passion,” says the soloist, Philippe Tondre. Several structural and melodic elements of the concerto are featured in Mozart’s operas, and the theme of the closing rondo movement is also heard in The Abduction from the Seraglio.We have the classicist period to thank for the core pieces for the trombone. Balázs Szakszon will perform a rare gem: Johann Georg Albrechtsberger’s concert work for the alto trombone, one of the most difficult pieces ever written for this special instrument (smaller in size and more modest in sound than its sibling, the tenor trombone). “What is especially motivating and interesting is that I will get to perform the piece accompanied by the chamber ensemble, with no conductor leading us. Rarely do you encounter the trombone as a solo instrument. It will be an interesting challenge to incorporate its sound.”The concert will conclude with another dance-like work by the strings. The piece celebrates the two-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the Norwegian-Danish playwright Ludvig Holberg. Like Grieg, he was born in Bergen. Rivalling the popularity of Peer Gynt, the piece begins with an energetic prelude and is followed by dances, popular in Holberg’s time: the intimate sarabande, the courteous gavotte and musette, followed by the emotional air movement, and finally wrapping up with a wild closing dance, the rigaudon.
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