Lonely Angel: Mozart and Pēteris Vasks

Bartók Romanian Folk Dances
Mozart Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major for violin and viola
Pēteris Vasks Lonely Angel: Meditation
Mozart Piano Concerto no. 20 in D minor

Ruth Rogers violin
Sascha Bota viola
Joanna MacGregor piano/conductor

The genius of Mozart is at the heart of this concert. His Sinfonia Concertante, a double concerto, bursts with joy at discovering new horizons; there is a remarkable partnership between the violin and viola, which laugh, sigh and sing together. The viola was Mozart’s instrument: he loved ‘playing in the middle,’ and the two soloists are our own brilliant Leader, Ruth Rogers, and the elegant Romanian violist Sascha Bota. Bartók’s spry folk dances counterbalance Pēteris Vasks’ vision of an angel ‘who hovers over the world, observing the state of the ravaged earth… an almost imperceptible touch of his wings brings comfort and healing.’

We finish with one of Mozart’s most powerful orchestral works, the Piano Concerto in D minor, played by BPO’s Music Director Joanna MacGregor. Mirroring the supreme drama of his opera Don Giovanni and Mozart’s complex relationship with his father, this dark work troubles, consoles, then finally delights.

‘Ruth Rogers must be one of the most gifted young violinists in Britain: her playing not calculated in any sense, her performance style and technique so assured that the music flows as a natural consequence of innermost understanding.’ – Musical Opinion