|
Mendelssohn was a master of the concert overture and Havant Chamber Orchestra
begin this concert with one of his finest – ‘The Fair
Melusine’. This was inspired by the dramatisation of a folk tale
about a woman who turns into a mermaid every Saturday and then into a dragon
when her husband disobeys orders and spies on her!
Also on the programme are two works which came late in their composers’
lives. The Symphony No. 41 was the last that Mozart wrote. It was
nicknamed the ‘Jupiter’ but as far as we know this was not
Mozart’s idea and actually happened some years after Mozart’s death
when the piece was being performed in London.
Richard Strauss lived a considerably longer life than Mozart and was 80 years
old when he was visited by an American oboist who suggested he write an Oboe
Concerto. The work was premiered in February 1946 in Zurich and is
lyrical and a delight to listen to.
| 
