A NIGHT of MOZART & BEETHOVEN

HBSO is delighted to announce an evening of music by Mozart and Beethoven on April 9 in the Saigon Opera House.

The concert begins with the Overture to Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. History tells us that Mozart composed this overture on the night before the opera's premiere in Prague. Parts for all the instrumental sections had then to be made, with the result that the orchestra had to sight-read the music at the opening performance.

Next comes Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante. This is a concerto for two soloists, a violinist and a viola player. Mozart had been toying with the idea of music that combines elements of the symphony and the concerto, and this was the result.

The Sinfonia Concertante is one of Mozart's most popular pieces and has been recorded over 40 times - an extraordinary number.

We at HBSO are very happy to have secured the services of two of Vietnam's most celebrated soloists for this performance, violinist Bui Cong Duy and viola-player Pham Vu Thien Bao. They may be the finest players of their respective instruments in the country.

Bui Cong Duy has been playing the violin all his life and has won many international prizes. He now lives in Hanoi and teaches master classes for advanced students.

Pham Vu Thien Bao was also originally a violinist but then switched to the viola. He has spent many years in France and performed all over Europe.

We at HBSO have been working our way through Beethoven's nine symphonies and now it's the turn of the first. Beethoven's Symphony Number One in C Major forms the second half of the concert.

Beethoven waited some time before composing any symphonies or string quartets, perhaps because these were the forms with which his teacher and mentor, Joseph Haydn, had made his name. Beethoven's Symphony Number One was first performed in 1800, and the date is symbolic, suggesting a new beginning.

The symphony is both traditional and innovative. To the untrained ear it may sound like Haydn or Mozart, but the specialist will notice several unusual features. One of these is the third movement. This was traditionally a dance, a minuet and trio, but Beethoven's instructions are for it to be played extremely fast, so that it almost becomes a scherzo. "Scherzo" means "joke" in Italian.

Its first audiences in 1800 judged it to be a masterpiece.  They were used to Haydn and Mozart and were ready for something new. Beethoven's combination of the new and the familiar must therefore have pleased all ears.

The concert will be led by Meritorious Artist Tran Vuong Thach conducting the HBSO Symphony Orchestra.

Admissions: 750.000 – 650.000 – 550.000 – 400.000 – 80.000VNĐ (For Student only)
Booking & Delivery: 02838237295, 0989874517 (Ms. Hương), 0903604539 (Ms.Ngọc)

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