Boston Baroque Presents MOZART & HAYDN With Amanda Forsythe

GRAMMY-nominated Boston Baroque begins the 2019-20 season with a program of symphonies and opera arias by Mozart and Haydn conducted by Music Director Martin Pearlman, and featuring soprano Amanda Forsythe. Two performances of this program will take place at NEC's Jordan Hall-the first, on Friday, October 25 at 8pm, and the second on Sunday, October 27 at 3pm. Popular pre-concert speaker Dr. Laura Stanfield Prichard, Visiting Researcher in Music and Dance History at Harvard University, will give a talk before both performances at 7pm and 2pm.

The program begins with Mozart's "Linz" Symphony No. 36 in C major-a work that marked a new phase in the composer's life. The symphony's nickname is inspired by the city it was composed in. Mozart and his wife, Constanze, had stopped in Linz, Austria, after a very unpleasant visit to his father, Leopold, in Salzburg. Leopold adamantly opposed his son's hasty marriage the previous year, and the young couple had attempted to sooth his father's hostility with a visit.

After three unbearable months, the couple traveled to visit their friend Count Johann Joseph Anton Thun-Hohenstein, a dedicated lover of music who kept a private orchestra at his disposal. Mozart agreed to put on a concert for his friend during his visit, but with no music on hand, he simply composed a new symphony in just four days. The première took place on November 4, 1783. Defined by its warmth, energy, and festivity-the music is a reflection, perhaps, of Count Thun's much-needed and appreciated hospitality. The work received its U.S. premiere in Boston on March 28, 1860 at a concert by the Boston Orchestral Union.

A set of dazzlingly virtuosic Mozart and Haydn arias for soprano follows, featuring Boston's beloved soprano, Amanda Forsythe, who is recognized internationally as a leading interpreter of Baroque and Classical repertoire.

The first aria, the magnificent "Barbaro, oh Dio, mi vedi," appears in the second act of Il re pastore, a seranata (short, semi-staged opera) written in 1775 when Mozart was only 19 years old. "Ruhe sanft, mein holdes Leben" is from Zaide, Mozart's unfinished singspiel (singing play) written in 1779-80 but not published until 1838.

Mozart's aria "Bella mia fiamma, addio" was written for his close friend, Josepha Duschek, a highly-regarded soprano of her time. Josepha is rumored to have won the aria's dedication by locking Mozart in a garden house on her estate near Prague, and refusing to release him until he had composed something for her. He artfully created a harmonically complex aria designed to test the singer's sense of intonation and powers of interpretation. Mozart's son, Karl Thomas, recounts that his father refused to hand over the score unless Josepha sang the work perfectly upon first sight. Needless to say, she earned the dedication.

The final aria is from Haydn's first oratorio, Il ritorno di Tobia. Rarely performed today, the Italian libretto tells the story of a blind man, Tobit, who is miraculously cured when his long- absent son, Tobias, returns home. "Anna, m'ascolta" is the most famous aria from the oratorio, and is sung by the archangel Raphael, who helps the family return Tobit's eyesight.

The program concludes with Haydn's Symphony No. 102 in B flat, one of his beloved "London" symphonies. Composed during his second visit to England and premiered in 1795, Symphony No. 102 is regarded as one of his finest. It is also known as the symphony which, at its premiere, had a chandelier come crashing down from the ceiling into the hall. Luckily, no serious injuries had occurred, as the audience had crowded close to the orchestra to be in close range to Haydn, who was directing from the keyboard.

After a dignified introduction, Symphony No. 102 showcases Haydn's mastery of musical mischief and wit throughout the first movement. The second movement, in contrast, evokes warmth and fluidity with its emotionally charged sound, while the final two movements return to Haydn's trademark high-spirited humor.

Single tickets begin at $25, and season subscriptions start at $81. Both may be purchased online at bostonbaroque.org or by calling the Boston Baroque offices at 617-987-8600.

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