1st Carpathian Basin Festival Opening Concert

In 1779, having returned to Salzburg after his journeys to Mannheim and Paris, the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote two works employing two solo instruments: the E-flat major sinfonia concertante for violin, viola and orchestra, and the concerto for two pianos in the same key. In the former, he is thought to have dedicated the viola part to himself, and the principal parts of the latter were likely shared with his sister. The slow movement of the sinfonia concertante particularly reflects the profound grief the composer was experiencing at this time (his mother died and he experienced disappointment in love). Again, the overture to The Magic Flute (1791) is in E-flat major; its eloquence serves as the core tone for the concert. The countess’s aria in the third act of Marriage of Figaro (1786) moves from frustration and despair to the heights of love and hope revived. The concert is realized through the collaboration of artists born in various parts of the Carpathian Basin. Pianist Apolka Bonnyai is the festival’s artistic director.