Mozart and the Violin: Evening One

Universally acknowledged as one of history’s supreme composers, and regarded as perhaps the finest keyboardist of his day, Mozart’s accomplishments as a violinist are less well-known. From the time a seven-year old Wolfgang Amadeus (as of yet untutored on the violin) flawlessly stepped into a quartet reading with his father Leopold, young Mozart rapidly acquired a mastery to rival the finest string soloists of the era. Our two-concert mini-festival explores the glorious legacy of this engagement with the violin.

In two string concerts highlighting Department of Music faculty-student collaboration, we celebrate Mozart’s violin works. Seniors Haley Kirychuk (violin) and Mikela Murphy (viola) are the graduating students featured in this concert series.

'Evening One' touches upon Mozart's vast, still under-appreciated repertoire for keyboard and violin. The magnificent final sonata (K.526) is a work that ranges from Brahmsian gravity to unbridled invention and excitement, while the fascinating Prelude & Fugue (K.402) exemplifies Mozart’s obsession with the contrapuntal marvels of Bach and Handel. This first evening concludes with the sublime Sinfonia Concertante (K.364), a virtuoso double-concerto for violin and viola by turns noble, mysterious, tragic, and ultimately life-affirming.

At the age of 19, and within the space of six astonishingly productive months, Mozart composed five eternally fresh violin concerti. The final two, perhaps the greatest of the set, will be heard on 'Evening Two.' No. 4 (K.218) opens this concert with ineffable poise and angelic grace; No. 5 (K.219, known as the ‘Turkish’), closes our mini-festival with a riot of boisterous display, followed by a charmingly humorous leave-taking.

Evening One program:

Violin Sonata (Prelude & Fugue) in A, K. 402
Violin Sonata in A, K. 526
Sinfonia Concertante for Violin and Viola in E-flat, K. 364

Performers:
  Airi Yoshioka, violin
  Mikela Murphy, viola
  John Novacek, piano

Admission: $15 general admission, $10 seniors, $5 students, free for UMBC Music majors and Music faculty/staff. Tickets are available at MissionTix and at the the box office.

Directions and parking information
UMBC is located about 10 minutes south of the Inner Harbor along I-95. For this event, free visitor parking is available in Lot 8, directly adjacent to the Performing Arts and Humanities Building, where Linehan Concert Hall is located — please click here for additional information.