Influencers: the Bachs, Mozart & Haydn

Stock image via Unsplash: @kaisarria

The most recent Tafelmusik concert "Influencers: the Bachs, Mozart & Haydn" was a wonderful example of how live concerts not only provide a moment to enjoy fantastic music, but are also an opportunity for those with keen ears to learn about the evolution of style and harmony, as well as other musical skills like interpretation and improvisation. 

The concert selection was a subtle but effective lesson on the transition and development of music from the baroque era to the stylings of the classical form. The repertoire consisted of sons of J.S. Bach, and the heavy weights of the classical era, Mozart and Haydn. In all the composers’ music were reminiscings of the previous baroque era everywhere.

The opening symphony showed the transition into full classical style, with very baroque style tutti motifs, and few moments of classical baroque dissonance, mixed with the incoming classical harmonic structures and cadential stylings. To those who paid attention and have a stylistic curiosity, it was an intriguing presentation in musicology.

The second instance of musicality and potential education was the playing of the always phenomenal Rach Podger. 

As always she is a very charismatic player, all the highs and lows of the music shown on her face, and the true love and joy in what she does made wonderfully clear. 

In terms of take aways from her playing, was how phenomenal her interpretations and improvisation of the candenze from the Mozart Violin Concerto no. 3 in G Major, KV 216. The themes whispered through each cadenza, harmonically cohesive to the written orchestral sections but also elaborated on in her very playful and fun way. Rhythmic and tempo changes here, dynamic changes there, and a true understanding of the music was an impressive lesson in improvisation and having fun with the potential that the music contains. This not only takes a great deal of technical knowledge, but also the understanding of content, style, and the greater ideas of the piece. She had such a mastery over the music, in the second movement of the concerto, we can bet that the expression marks were cantabile as it almost felt like the violin was singing rather than playing. 

The concert name “Influencers: the Bachs, Mozart & Haydn”, was clever, as it was quite an education, not in a superficial popularity contest way, but in showing who, why, and how those featured were influential on the development of their craft.