A weekend Proms with fabulous music from Tim Hugh (cello), Katerina Nazarova (cello), Kirsten Jensen (cello)

Mozart Duo No1 for violin & viola in G Major, KV 423
Schoenberg- Transfigured Night

Interval

Tchaikovsky – Souvenir de Florence Op.70

This evening’s programme offers a compelling journey through three landmark works of chamber music, each distinct in style yet united by emotional intensity and compositional brilliance.

Mozart’s Duo No. 1 in G Major for Violin and Viola, K. 423 opens the concert with clarity, charm, and contrapuntal elegance. Composed in 1783, it highlights the conversational interplay between the two instruments, with Mozart granting both equal lyrical and virtuosic weight. Written to assist Michael Haydn, who had fallen ill, this duo not only demonstrates Mozart’s generosity but also his ability to blend grace with structural sophistication.

Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night), originally scored for string sextet in 1899, marks a dramatic shift in tone and era. Deeply Romantic yet foreshadowing modernism, it is inspired by Richard Dehmel’s poem of emotional revelation and forgiveness. Schoenberg’s lush harmonies and expressive use of chromaticism paint a nocturnal landscape filled with turmoil and eventual transcendence. The work reflects the composer’s early style, bridging Wagnerian richness with his own emerging voice.

The programme concludes with Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70, a passionate string sextet written in 1890. Though titled as a fond remembrance of Italy, the piece pulses with Russian melodic fervour and rhythmic vitality. Its outer movements are energetic and bold, while the inner sections offer lyrical introspection. Tchaikovsky’s skillful writing allows each instrument to shine within a vibrant, emotionally expansive ensemble texture.

Together, these works span Classical elegance, Romantic intensity, and emotional transformation, promising a richly rewarding musical experience