May 2022
Sat, 14 May 2022
AN EVENING WITH MOZARTOn Saturday, 14th May, Haslemere was treated to an evening of music composed by the Austrian genius, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91), in a concert delayed by two years due to Covid, at Haslemere Hall. Haslemere Musical Society, the local amateur symphony orchestra and chorus, performed three items from Mozart’s extensive catalogue of over 600 works: a Kyrie in D minor, K341, sung by the 29 members of the choir and supported by the 35 strong orchestral complement. This was followed by a performance of Mozart’s Symphony No. 35, known as the ‘Haffner’, as it was composed in celebration of Sigmund Haffner’s ennoblement, a family friend of the Mozarts since childhood. After the interval, the choir was augmented by two professional soloists and the orchestra performed a selection from Mozart’s opera, Idomeneo, depicting an episode from the era of the Trojan Wars. All these works were composed in the period, 1780-2, a time when Mozart was leaving his native Salzburg to become a free-lance composer/musician in Vienna, although it is now thought that the Kyrie may have been a later work.
After a tentative opening, the Kyrie was well sung by the choir. This is a celebratory work using the simple text: Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.
The Haffner Symphony, K385, is a bright, upbeat orchestral work which shows off Mozart’s pre-eminent gift for writing beautiful melodies. Woodwind was strongly featured and very well played even in exposed passages. It was certainly played ‘with fire’ as Mozart had written to his father, Leopold. Although in recent times this symphony is not as popular as it once had been, this occasion made one wonder why we don’t hear it more often.
After the interval, the choir and orchestra performed selected arias, recitative and orchestral parts of Mozart’s opera, Idomeneo, based upon the return of King Idomeneo of Crete to his homeland after the Trojan Wars. He has made a pact with Neptune to sacrifice the first person he meets upon his safe arrival, which proves to be his son, Idamante, and the opera is concerned with how this plays out.
The chorus were joined by two professional soloists, Lizzie Holmes (soprano) as Ilia, a last minute stand-in for the indisposed Shafali Jalota and Alexandra Long (mezzo) as Elettra, both vying for the hand of Idamante. Both soloists were excellent, expressive, clear and with powerful voices filling the hall. I was particularly impressed by two young female choir members, Kerrie Stevenson and Sarah Furbank, who performed duets. Both were musically secure and provided an uplifting presence to their singing which was widely commented upon after the performance. The finale with full orchestra and chorus brought the end to a very enjoyable evening of Mozart’s fabulous music. Well done everybody!
Roger Saunders
President, Haslemere Recorded Music Society
