Si eccellente (Mozart Gala)

As has become a tradition, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart occupies a place of honour on the musical map of the Czech lands, being regarded as virtually a domestic composer. The affection, friendship, respect and renown he won for himself in Bohemia still in his lifetime, have entered into the realm of legends. “It appears as if Mozart wrote for the Czechs, as nowhere else was he received as warmly and his music played with greater aplomb than in Prague; and in fact, he was much loved even in the provinces... so many hearts were won over by Mozart's sublime genius...”, one can read, for instance, in the pages of the Prager Neue Presse daily newspaper of February 1794, twenty-six months after the composer's death. Even though Prague in particular loved virtually anything by Mozart, he reached the very summit of his fame here as an opera composer. Of his eight finest operas, two – Don Giovanni, and La clemenza di Tito – were written specifically for Prague, and another one, Le nozze di Figaro, scored triumphs here.

To be quite fair, though, Prague's Nostitz Theatre witnessed glorious receptions not just of Mozart's operas, but also of his other compositions. On January 19, it played host to Mozart conducting his Symphony No. 38 in D major, KV 504, which was subsequently dubbed “Prague.” It will be recalled here by the performance of its first movement, Adagio-Allegro. On October 16, 1791, the Nostitz Theatre saw the premiere of Clarinet Concerto in A major, KV 622, dedicated by Mozart to his friend, the phenomenal clarinettist and basset horn player, Anton Stadler. The Adagio and Rondo parts of this concerto will be played here by Prague State Opera orchestra clarinettist Jarom

Performers

• Dagmar Vaňkátová, Pavla Vykopalová – soprano
• Aleš Briscein – tenor
• Miguelangelo Cavalcanti – baritone
• Zdeněk Plech – bass
• Jaromír Valášek – clarinet
• Prague State Opera Orchestra
• Richard Hein – conductor
• Excerpts from Mozart's correspondence and period reviews read by: Jaroslav Someš

Programme

Symphony No. 38 in D MAJOR, KV 504 „PRAGUE“

1st movement Adagio – Allegro

Idomeneo

Overture

Don Giovanni

• Overture
• Il mio tesoro intanto – Don Ottavio's Aria from Act II
• Madamina, il catalogo è questo – Leporello's Aria from Act I
• Fin ch'han dal vino calda la testa – Don Giovanni's Aria from Act I

Die Zauberflöte

• Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön – Tamino's Aria from Act I
• Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen – The Queen of the Night's Aria from Act II

Interval

Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A major, KV 622

2nd movement Adagio

La clemenza di Tito

Ecco il punto, o Vitellia – Non più di fiori – Vitellie's Recitative and Rondo from Act II

Le nozze di Figaro

• Overture
• Hai già vinta la causa! – Count's Recitative and Aria from Act III.
• E Susanna non vien!... Dove sono i bei momenti – Countess' Recitative and Aria from Act III
• Non più andrai, farfallone amoroso – Figaro's Aria from Act I