Northern Chamber Orchestra with Chloë Hanslip, violin Online, Sunday 28 March 2021 – Sunday 4 April 2021 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791) - Violin Concerto No.4 in D major K.218 I Allegro II Andante cantabile III Rondeau: Andante grazioso - Allegro ma non troppo Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893) – Souvenir de Florence Op.70 I Allegro con spirito II Adagio cantabile e con moto III Allegretto moderato IV Allegro vivace Many music historians consider that Mozart ’s Violin Concertos Nos 3, 4 and 5 mark the beginning of his fully mature period of composing. All of his five violin concertos were written in a single year, 1775, and were created for himself as the soloist; a fact about Mozart often overlooked – he was extremely proficient on the violin. By 1775 he had already served five years as a concertmaster in the Salzburg Court Orchestra, for which he composed, co-conducted, played keyboard for every necessity, and performed as soloist. Considering all of this, it’s astonishing that he was still only 19 years old. Of his five concerti, it’s No. 4 that most listeners and violinists are drawn to first. Intertwined in its wonderful melodies, is a splendid youthfulness, a spirit of happiness and contentment. And of the five concerti, this and the fifth are the most technically demanding. Mozart nicknamed this concerto his “Strassburg Concerto” because in the finale one short episode is based on a bagpipe strain he heard in that country hamlet! In the opening movement, Mozart takes pains to find new ways of keeping the soloist in the spotlight. The effect is one of undisguised virtuosity allied to thoughtful and expressive writing, a hallmark of the great piano concertos yet to come. The “singing” slow movement, by way of contrast, offers pure, unforced lyricism - a quiet aria of contentment between two dazzling ensembles. The finale cuts back and forth between graceful dancelike music and a spirited jig - this varied scenario itself interrupted once by an unexpected folk song. The comparative neglect of Tchaikovsky ’s Souvenir de Florence is possibly due to two principal causes: it is a work scored for an uncommon ensemble (originally a sextet) and it is extraordinarily difficult to play. The Souvenir de Florence may not be a true symphony but it is truly symphonic in stature and in organisation. The opening is splendidly dramatic and springs instantly into life. Both this movement and the finale are rigorous but imaginative sonata structures, and their form is as clear as in any such movements in Tchaikovsky’s output. But it is in the more relaxed central movements, where pure melody could come into its own, that the composer’s personal voice is most persuasively heard. Tchaikovsky had noted down the main theme of the slow movement in Florence in 1887, and so this ravishingly-scored serenade for the first violin and first cello gave the piece its name. Whatever its Italian character, this melody is quintessential Tchaikovsky; so, in its different way is the third movement – a dance-like scherzo built on a very Russian–sounding first theme. The brief central section is actually faster than the outer sections of the movement, and contains some of Tchaikovsky’s most colourful instrumental effects. A Russian character persists into the first theme of the finale, although the dancing rhythms that accompany it evokes such similar forays into the Italian idiom as the Neapolitan Dance from The Nutcracker, and the Capriccio Italien. The movement is high-spirited and energetic from beginning to end, closing with a brilliant coda which pushes the technical possibilities of string playing to its absolute limit. Chloë Hanslip, violin Chloë Hanslip (b. 1987) has already established herself as an artist of distinction on the international stage. Prodigiously talented, she made her BBC Proms debut at fourteen and her US concerto debut at fifteen and has performed at major venues in the UK (Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall), Europe (Vienna Musikverein, Hamburg Laeiszhalle, Paris Louvre and Salle Gaveau, St Petersburg Hermitage) as well as Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Arts Space in Tokyo and the Seoul Arts Centre. She is the Artist in Association with Northern Chamber Orchestra. [For an extended biography, please visit https://www.chloehanslip.com/bio ] The Orchestra Violin I Nicholas Ward David Routledge Violin II Simon Gilks Louise Latham Viola Richard Muncey Michael Dale Cello Cara Berridge Barbara Grunthal Double Bass James Manson Oboe William Oinn Jane Evans Horn Naomi Atherton Jenny Cox We would like to thank the Friends of the Northern Chamber Orchestra for their generous support of our concerts. For more information about becoming a Friend, please visit www.ncorch.co.uk/friends