Page 11 - Barcelona Tour 2014

Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.64 Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
1st movement – Allegro molto appassionato
The first performance of this ever-popular concerto was given in March 1845, after a five-year gestation, with the composer’s
friend Ferdinand David as soloist. The soloist opens with a passionate theme, which is repeated by the orchestra. Arching
arpeggios from the soloist lead to low sustained notes above which the poignant second theme is heard, first in the
woodwind and then taken up by the pleading tones of the solo violin. The cadenza falls unusually just before the
recapitulation of the main theme, round which the soloist weaves an intricate web of arpeggios.
Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, K 364 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
3rd movement – Presto: Tempo di contradanza
Mozart was strongly influenced by the musical scene he found in Mannheim, which was renowned for an orchestra
containing enough virtuoso players to justify the writing of a sinfonia concertante. He composed one for four wind
instruments, and another, in 1779, for violin and viola; he played viola in its first performance, and its last movement will
be presented on tour.
Overture to William Tell Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)
William Tell, written in 1829, was the last of Rossini's operas. It celebrates the Swiss struggle for independence from the
Austrian Hapsburgs in the 13th century. For a work which he was convinced would be his masterpiece, Rossini judged that
a more serious overture than usual was called for, and preceded the opera with a pictorial tone poem in four continuous
movements. The first section depicts a peaceful Alpine landscape. Twice, distant thunder is heard, and in the second section
the storm bursts in all its fury. This is succeeded by a Ranz des Vaches, a melody (played by cor anglais) used by Swiss
herdsmen to summon their cattle. Birds twitter (flute and piccolo) while the triangle suggests the sheep bells of the high
meadows. The idyll is rudely interrupted by a call to arms, which ushers in the final section. This represents the triumphant
uprising of the Swiss cantons against their foreign oppressors.