This Friday, April 4th, 2025, I invite you to spend an evening together dedicated to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, having the opportunity for a live transmission. We will be live starting at 9 PM, during the show European Stage, with the Music and Congress Centre Lübeck, where the NDR Radiophilharmonie from Frankfurt will be performing.

At the rostrum will be Jörg Widmann, a character who has left his mark on the contemporary music scene. Born on June 19th, 1973, in München, Widmann is renowned not just as an orchestra leader, but also as a virtuous clarinet player and prolific composer. He studied clarinet at Hochschule für Musik und Theater München and at Juilliard School in New York, and he studied composition with masters such as Hans Werner Henze and Wolfgang Rihm.

As a conductor, Widmann is appreciated for his energetic interpretations and for his innovative approach to the classic repertoire. His collaborations with world-renowned orchestras and his participation in various musical projects paint him as a complete and versatile artist. Starting with the 2023/2024 season, Jörg Widmann is first on the list when it comes to conductors invited by NDR Radiophilharmonie, where he likes to mix in his concerts his creations from the so-called "standard" repertoire with oppositions. However, this time, Mozart's creation will remain untouched by Widmann's never-ending diversity. For example, the contrast between the lively overture of "The Marriage of Figaro" and the harsh, almost relentless sounds of "Adagio and Fugue in C minor". The Violi Concerto No. 5 in A major takes on a mediating role: this last violin concerto by Mozart is refined and diverse, ending with a "alla turca" tonality (in the third part).

The evening's soloist is violinist Alina Pogostkina.Born in Sankt Petersburg and raised in Germany, Alina started studying violin under the guidance of her father, Alexander Pogostkin. Later, she continued her studies at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" in Berlin and deepened the study of baroque violin with Reinhard Goebel. A laureate of the Sibelius competition in Helsinki in 2005, Alina Pogostkina has collaborated with renowned conductors such as Gustavo Dudamel, Paavo Järvi, and Sakari Oramo. Her vast repertoire and versatility in her performance paint her as one of the most appreciated violinists of her generation.

The evening opens up with the overture "The Marriage of Figaro", a performance full of liveliness and elegance, capturing the piece's essence. We will then listen to Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, KV 219, also known as the "Turkish Concerto". It's a composition that reminds us that Mozart was also a master when creating violin concertos, in which he combines graceful melodies with virtuosic passages. After the break, the orchestra will perform "Adagio and Fugue in C minor", KV 546, a composition that mirrors Mozart's interest in the baroque style and the counterpoint polyphony techniques. The evening will end with the performance of Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV 550, one of the most famous and loved symphonies by Mozart. Finished in the summer of 1788, this symphony is one of two that the author wrote in a minor key, mirroring the influence that the Sturm und Drang movement had on him.

What about Mozart's music still fascinates artists nowadays? For Widmann, it's first and foremost his extreme emotional diversity: "This transition, in the shortest passage possible, from absolute serenity to a kind of death premonition, is something I've never seen in another composer's work," said the NDR orchestra leader. With this opportunity, he also said that: "That is why Mozart can be played at any imaginable occasion; at a baptism, at a wedding, at a funeral - can you say this about any other music?". A first example of this is the Symphony in G minor, created in the last years of Mozart's life, which acknowledges the pain, the despair, and the revolt, as well as the comfort and the hope.

Therefore, I invite you to accompany me to (re)discover together the subtleties and beauty of the Mozartian masterpieces. We will explore details about the context of their creation, the particularities when performing, and get to know better the artists who bring them to life. Don't miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enjoy an extraordinary concert, live from Lübeck, on April 4th, 2025, at 9 PM, on Radio Romania Music. You can listen to the transmission on the FM frequencies or online at www.romania-muzical.ro.