Australian Chamber Orchestra: Mozart Sinfonia Concertante

Benjamin Britten and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart reach out to one another across the centuries in profound and deeply moving communion.

Mozart’s wondrous Sinfonia Concertante intertwines violin and viola soloists in a partnership of equals. They speak to one another of beauty, loss, consolation and, finally, exaltation. Our Principal Viola, Stefanie Farrands, makes her ACO concerto debut, joining Richard Tognetti for this exquisite, unforgettable masterpiece.

Britten idolised Mozart from boyhood. He visited Salzburg to retrace his footsteps and it’s where Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge premiered. Britten wrote with ease to capture Bridge’s integrity, wit, energy and gaiety.

Britten, like Mozart, was gifted beyond his years and had an instinct for timeless musical expression. This extraordinary elixir of youth and wisdom can be heard in his Elegy, written by the composer when he was just 16 (coincidentally the same age at which Mozart wrote his Divertimento in D major). We give Britten’s work its long-awaited Australian premiere.

Program

Benjamin Britten Elegy for Strings – Australian Premiere

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat – arr. strings

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Divertimento in D

Benjamin Britten Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge