Mozart's Prague

Mozart’s life was tragically cut short in 1791 at the tender age of just 35. In stark contrast, this was the same year that Haydn travelled to London, where he was viewed as a celebrity with his performances drawing huge crowds, and rose to the peak of his fame. Meanwhile, Mozart died in relative poverty in Vienna, a poignant juxtaposition of the lives of the two men. One wonders what Mozart would have achieved had he lived as long as Haydn.

Our final program for 2021 brings together one of Mozart’s most loved late piano concertos No. 21, made famous by the film Elvira Madigan, with his beautiful Prague Symphony and a powerful C minor symphony of Haydn.

The Prague Symphony, composed in late 1785, was premiered in Prague on Mozart's first visit, from which came the work's nickname.

The program opens with Haydn’s powerful C minor Symphony No. 95 completed in 1791, the tragic year of Mozart's death and during Haydn's first visit to London.

During that trip Haydn composed his set of twelve famous London Symphonies, of which this is the fourth.

It is the only symphony of the set that the composer wrote in a minor key and without a slow introduction. The dramatic opening of the work in the powerful key of C minor sets the tone for a dramatic program.