PROGRAMME

Beethoven Septet in E flat, Op.20
Mozart Horn Quintet in E-flat major, K. 407

MUSICIANS

Tomo Keller, violin
Robert Smissen, viola
Ian Rathbone, viola
Stephen Orton, cello
Lynda Houghton, bass
Richard Hosford, clarinet
Julie Price, bassoon
Stephen Stirling, horn

OVERVIEW

Showcasing the virtuosity of each instrument through its six movements, Beethoven’s Septet possesses an easy-going charm and uncontainable exuberance.
Mozart’s Horn Quintet dates from one of the happiest periods of his tragically short life. Such was Mozart’s devotion to his virtuoso friend, horn player Joseph Leutgeb, that he specifically enhanced the middle-range of the horn’s distinctive timbre by scoring the accompaniment for string quartet with two violas. Each of the three movements was designed to showcase a different facet of Leutgeb’s artistry, counterbalancing the Allegro’s precision cantabile and Andante’s heartfelt lyricism with a high-spirited finale of virtuoso élan.

Part of the Beethoven 250 series at Kings Place