The programme is entitled Cheerful Music. It includes music that lets us remember funny and amusing things, having been composed by witty and cheerful geniuses. The programme starts with a performance of the second movement of Joseph Haydn’s Surprise symphony; for over two centuries, the composer’s unexpected joke in this section of the symphony has been delighting all audiences, particularly those with children. It will be followed by two pieces from Dmitry Dmitrievich Shostakovich’s suite Dances of the Dolls for small orchestra: here the play of the rhythms would make even the most pensive young listener smile.
The central part of the programme consists of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s A Musical Joke (also known as The Village Musicians) for small orchestra – a unique humorous portrayal of eager novices trying to compose and perform a classical symphony. Our concert will conclude with Georges Bizet’s orchestral suite Jeux d’enfants; this work contains various characters and scenes, but it is utterly translucent and filled with light.
For this concert, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra will be conducted by Gavriel Heine, with comments for the programme from Professor Leonid Gakkel.
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