Academy Concert: Matthew Halls and the TSOI

Internationally acclaimed conductor Matthew Halls, the great Tyrolean pianist Michael Schöch, and the Tyrolean Symphony Orchestra Innsbruck perform masterpieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The program opens with the Serenata Notturna for two orchestras—or, more accurately, two ensembles. Here, Mozart adopts the form of the concerto grosso, characterized by the interplay between tutti and solo ensembles, yet treats it with freedom and imagination. When the weather was fine, serenades were played outdoors, where the two ensembles flanked the audience, creating natural stereo effects. The Piano Concerto in G Major, K. 453, is Mozart’s second work dedicated to his student Barbara Ployer. Here, the intimacy of chamber music and the finest tonal nuances enchant the listener. “Miss Babette,” as the teacher called his student in letters, was highly gifted. The extraordinarily vibrant Symphony K. 201 from 1774 is a true “Sturm und Drang” piece, full of the most subtle elaboration of the voice texture and a melody that is as immediately engaging as it is high-quality and unmistakable.