ANTHONY MARWOOD
Guest Director
VINE
New Work [world premiere]
MOZART
Serenata Notturna, K.239
KINSELLA
Prelude and Toccata [Australian premiere]
MENDELSSOHN
Sinfonia No.12
SCHUMANN
Violin Concerto [transcribed from the Cello Concerto]
GOLIJOV
Last Round
Concert program PDF
Anthony Marwood’s first appearance with the ACO in 2006 was rapturously received by audiences and critics alike. This versatile performer (violinist, actor and dancer) returns to lead the ACO in exceptional and stimulating music-making.
Schumann thought his Cello Concerto would be just as effective as a violin concerto, and he adapted the solo part himself. Now Anthony Marwood performs it in a new version for violin and strings, casting new light on a beloved work. Schumann’s music is rarely conventional and this concerto is no exception: songlike expressiveness takes precedence over virtuosic display and it resembles chamber music in its conversational intimacy. An apt showcase, then, for a musician like Marwood, who moves from trios to concertos with ease.
Mozart, as WH Auden said, “created masterpieces by the dozen” including this Serenade which was enjoyed (Auden again), “while bottles were uncorked, / Milord chewed noisily, Milady talked.” Nowadays Mozart’s audiences are more attentive, and no wonder: from its grand opening march to the rustic dance of the finale, the Serenata Notturna is a charmer.
Beethoven made a note in his diary: “Mendelssohn – 12 years old – promises much”. Promise evident in the 12 string symphonies the young Felix composed that year. The final symphony is the finest: a combination of Baroque energy, Mozartian lyricism and Romantic richness.