Programme:
Antonín Dvořák
Serenade for Strings in E major, Op. 22
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Moderato
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Tempo di Valse
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Violin Concerto in G major (K. 216)
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1st movement – Allegro
Ann-Sophie Schöggl – violin
Bohuslav Martinů
Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra
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3rd movement – Poco allegro
Magdalena Furtmüller – oboe
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Concerto for Flute and Harp in C major (K. 299)
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Allegro
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Andantino
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Rondeau – Allegro
Catrin Stepanek – flute
Julia Kräuter – harp
Johann Strauss
Kaiser-Waltz / Emperor Waltz, Op. 437
Programme Notes:
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) composed the Serenade for Strings in E major in the spring of 1875, during a period when he was beginning to experience his first significant compositional successes. Serenades originally served as musical tributes performed by romantic suitors beneath their beloved’s windows. The instrumental serenade evolved into a cyclical form that imitates such an evening performance. The five-movement work is a charming example of Dvořák’s boundless inventiveness – accessible, joyful, and competing in popularity with his later Serenade in D minor for Wind Instruments, Op. 44. The Serenade in E major premiered on December 10, 1876, in Prague’s Žofín Palace, conducted by Adolf Čech and performed by a combined orchestra of the Czech Provisional and German Estates Theatres under the name “Philharmonie.” The following April, Leoš Janáček ensured its performance in Brno. Although the Vienna Philharmonic planned to perform the piece in the 1879/80 season, it did not occur until after the Viennese premiere of Dvořák’s Violin Concerto, on December 9, 1883, in a concert series organized by cellist Theobald Kretschmann, a native of Vinoř near Prague.
Bohuslav Martinů (1890–1959) composed his Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra in 1955 while staying in Nice, in southern France. The work was commissioned by Czech oboist Jiří Tancibudek (1921–2004), who began his career in the opera orchestras of Brno and Prague and later served as principal oboist of the Czech Philharmonic. In 1950, due to political reasons, he emigrated from Czechoslovakia and, on the recommendation of Sir John Barbirolli, was invited to Sydney, Australia, to establish an oboe class at the local conservatory. Between 1953 and 1964, he was the principal oboist of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Martinů’s concerto was designed to help Tancibudek launch a new solo career and showcases the soloist’s full artistic range. The premiere took place on August 8, 1956, in Sydney, with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt. The concerto follows a typical three-movement structure: the first has the character of a free fantasy, the second is serious and episodic, and the third begins with a dance-like rhythm that leads to a dramatic conclusion. In 2025, the concerto was selected as the final round repertoire for oboe in the Prague Spring International Music Competition.
In the last quarter of 1775, at the age of nineteen, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) composed three of his five confirmed violin concertos in Salzburg. Mozart himself was a skilled violinist, and the structural freedom and expressive depth of these works show his deep understanding of the instrument. In 1769, he became the (initially unpaid) concertmaster of the Salzburg court orchestra and performed as a soloist beyond his hometown, gaining exposure to Italian virtuosi. String instruments were especially popular in Salzburg at the time, with violin concertos and divertimenti often featuring solo passages. It is believed that violinists such as Naples-born Antonio Brunetti or Salzburg native Johann Anton Kolb played these concertos. Mozart valued Brunetti's playing highly and often entrusted him with the violin parts when not performing them himself. Mozart biographer Alfred Einstein speculated about what transformative events in those three months led to such a marked enrichment of Mozart’s compositional mastery. Regarding the Violin Concerto in G major, K. 216, Einstein observed that “the orchestra begins to speak and establishes a new, intimate relationship with the soloist. If there is a miracle in Mozart’s oeuvre, it is the creation of this concerto.”
Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp in C major, K. 299, was written during his stay in Paris in 1778. Both Mozart and his father Leopold hoped that this trip would open doors to the city’s elite musical circles. Unable to travel with him, Leopold sent Mozart’s mother instead, but their hopes were dashed. Tragedy struck when Mozart’s mother fell ill and died in Paris on July 3. While in Paris, Mozart composed his “Paris” Symphony, a string quartet, music for the ballet Les petits riens, several sonatas and variations – but he returned home alone. The concerto, completed in April 1778, was commissioned by the Duke of Guînes and his daughter. Mozart had met the Duke through Baron von Grimm, a diplomat and journalist who had taken an interest in the young composer. In a letter dated May 14, 1778, Mozart wrote that he was giving composition lessons to the Duke’s daughter, who “plays the harp wonderfully, is very talented and intelligent, especially with an extraordinary memory – she plays about 200 pieces from memory. However, she doubts her own talent for composition – particularly in generating ideas. Her father, who (between us) is rather too fond of her, says she absolutely has ideas, but lacks self-confidence.” Mozart concluded, “Without that, it’s all in vain – I cannot give her ideas.” The Duke himself played the flute well, and Mozart expected to be paid for the piece. However, on July 31 he lamented in another letter that the Duke had held the finished concerto for four months without paying – another Parisian disappointment. Harp was very fashionable in the Parisian aristocracy at the time, and there were many harp makers in the city; the transverse flute was also extremely popular. Although Mozart was not especially fond of either instrument, the combination proved sonically ideal. Despite being composed for amateurs, the concerto requires considerable technique and expressive sensitivity, which is why it has been embraced by many virtuosos.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss II (1825–1899), whose music has retained its charm despite changing aesthetic tastes and performance practices. Known as the “Waltz King,” Strauss elevated light entertainment music with his melodic invention, motivic development, and harmonic sophistication. One of his most famous works is the Kaiser-Waltz (Emperor Waltz), Op. 437. It was composed for the opening of a new concert hall in Berlin, held on October 19, 1889. Strauss conducted the piece himself two days later, on October 21, under the original title Hand in Hand, symbolizing the alliance between the Austrian and German monarchies. The change to its current title was likely suggested by the Berlin publisher Fritz Simrock. The Viennese premiere followed on November 11 that year, conducted by Carl Michael Ziehrer – though in Ziehrer’s own orchestration. This angered Strauss, who then conducted his original version on November 24 at Vienna’s Musikverein. The rivalry between the composers only boosted the work’s popularity.
