4th Symphony Concert

Viennese classical music meets modern classics. This 4th symphony concert is framed by the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Györgyi Ligeti, both Vienneses by choice. Originating from Transylvania, Ligeti integrates folk melodies of his home into the Concert Românesc (1951)– just as his role models Zoltan Kodaly and Bela Bartok did – and uses these melodies artfully. “Concert Românesc reflects my deep love for Romanian folk tunes and for the Romanian- speaking culture”, says Ligeti about his work.
Mozart takes a role model as example as well for composing his Symphony in C major. His role model: the 24 years older and most popular composer of his time, Joseph Haydn. Composed in haste while passing through, the ‘Linzer’, now considered one of Mozart's great symphonies, is primarily focused on efficiency and effect.
Not less captivating and full of effects is the clarinet concert of American composer Aaron Copland. Whereas his ballet Appalachian Spring contains mostly elements of folklore, this concert is all about jazz. Which makes sense because Copland wrote it for the “King of Swing”, the famous jazz-clarinet player Benny Goodman. From the melancholic first movement, which showcases the lyrical qualities of the clarinet, to the fusion of elements of North and South American popular music, this piece demonstrates once again why Copland went down in music history as the creator of an unmistakably “American” musical idiom.