Three innovators at the height of their musical powers

Masters of Invention

Sunday, October 6, 2019 | 3:00 PM

The Program

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Haydn                       Symphony N. 94 "Surprise"

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Schumann               Cello Concerto 

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Shostakovich          Symphony N. 9

1 hour and 30 minutes, with intermission

About This Program

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• Removed from 18th century Europe’s cultural metropolis Vienna, and responsible for the weekly musical entertainment of the remote Esterhazy Court, Joseph Haydn single handedly introduced some of the musical forms we still cherish today. The “Surprise” Symphony is quintessential Haydn; charming, humorous, and exuberant.

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• Picking up where Beethoven left off, Robert Schumann helped usher in musical Romanticism by pushing the boundaries of melody, harmony, and form. The second movement of his Cello Concerto contains one of the most intimate moments in music, where you can hear the composer in loving conversation with his wife Clara.

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• Under the scrutinizing eye of the Soviet censors, Dmitri Shostakovich expressed his feelings towards Stalin and the USSR by using wit and sarcasm to create a style uniquely his own. Considered by the composer to be “a joyful little piece,” his Symphony No.9 would go on to be banned by the Soviet regime for seven years.