Why You'll Love This Concert
Wolfgang and Leopold, Johann Sebastian and Carl Phillip Emmanuel… the Mozart and the Bach families had more than a single composer. This concert highlights these family ties and also features the RSO's incomparable principal horn, Laura Brenes, performing the horn concerto of Franz Strauss (Richard’s father, of course).
Special Artists
Program Preview
Johann Sebastian Bach
Orchestration
flute, harpsichord, violins, violas, cellos, basses
Notes
Composers of the 18th century regarded themselves as craftsmen with special skills needed and valued by the community. Bach and his colleagues imparted their skills to their sons, just as a silversmith or cobbler would hand down his craft to his children. They enjoyed a respected, if not exalted, place in society. A composer was typically either a member of a noble household or in the employ of a church and chorister school. Virtually every ruler in Europe had some type of musical staff and a musical director both to oversee it and to compose new works for the staff to perform.
Read MoreC.P.E Bach
Orchestration
2 flutes, 2 oboes, bassoon, 2 horns, harpsichord, violins, violas, cellos, basses
Notes
Around the same time that our founding fathers were busy de-colonizing themselves from British rule, the second oldest surviving son of J.S. Bach was carrying on the family business of writing music for various people who would pay him to do so. Carl Philipp Emanuel wrote his Sinfonia in F major (and other works in the Wq. 182 group, for those of you familiar with musicological cataloging of such things) in the years right around 1776, in Hamburg.
Read MoreFranz Strauss
Orchestration
solo horn, flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, trombone, timpani, violins, violas, cellos, basses
Notes
Though now more famous as the father of Richard Strauss, Franz Strauss was a very well-known horn player with a well-documented reputation for being both musically conservative and difficult to work with. Franz's musical aesthetics held up Mozart and Beethoven as the ultimate models, and his dislike for Wagner was no secret. He was, however, one of the most gifted and musical horn players of the day, so much of the time his rather stubborn personality and abrasiveness were tolerated.
Read MoreLeopold Mozart
Orchestration
2 horns, continuo, violins, viola, cellos, basses
Notes
Leopold Mozart's place in music history is something of an interesting story. He began his musical career fairly early, starting out rather successfully as a violinist, composer, and teacher. He published his first group of pieces in 1740 at the tender age of twenty-one and was appointed to various musical positions in Salzburg. His career stalled after these early successes, and he was passed over for promotions time and again. Of course, he is most famously known as the father and primary teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Read MoreWolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Orchestration
2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, violins, violas, cellos, basses
Notes
It has been traditionally held that Mozart was fond of the city and people of Prague and considered them to be an erudite and musically-savvy audience, though much of that fondness was probably predicated on the fact that the people of Prague were, generally speaking, on “Team Mozart” (the composer had a well-documented dislike for the French and was often annoyed at the fickleness of the Viennese, where his popularity went up and down regularly). Regardless, the so-called "Prague Symphony" (No. 38) was premiered in the eponymous city in 1787. It remains one of his most interesting and popular symphonies, owing to its richness of contrapuntal and harmonic exploration.
Read MoreThe performance of Dicken's 'A Christmas Carol' was just amazing. The cast, chorus, and orchestra moved me to tears.
Thank you for this marvelous production, which might just have been the best event from the Redlands Symphony in the 13 years I have been a season subscriber.
Directions to Redlands
Redlands is conveniently located less than 30 minutes from Riverside, Loma Linda, Yucaipa, Highland, and Beaumont. From Hemet, it’s just a short jaunt north on CA-79 and West on I-10. It is easily accessible from Los Angeles 60 miles east along Hwy 10. And from San Diego, it’s a beautiful, 2-hour drive north along I-15 and I-215.
Getting ready to attend our concert? View our directions page.
Concert Info
Redlands Symphony 03/09/13 at 08:00pm
Memorial Chapel 1200 E. Colton Ave.Redlands, CA 92373 Get Directions