Interview
Riccardo Minasi in conversation with Albrecht Mayer A Mozart concert with Riccardo Minasi
Deutschlandfunk called Riccardo Minasi’s recording of the composer’s late symphonies one of “the most exciting Mozart releases of our still young century”. One rarely hears this music played with as much drama as it is with this conductor, who makes his debut with the Philharmoniker in the elegant “Haffner” Symphony and Symphony No. 40. Also on the programme is the Concertone for two violins, a rarely performed work featuring two of the orchestra’s principals.
Riccardo Minasi, who as co-founder and long-time director of the original sound ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro was quick to place emotion at the centre of his interpretations, is certain: “There is nothing more beautiful than Mozart in full colour”. His recordings explore the rhetorical dimensions of Mozart’s oeuvre, from euphoric and colourful to intimate and delicate – “High-voltage Mozart,” was the verdict of Deutschlandfunk.
So it’s no surprise that the Roman-born composer has chosen an all-Mozart programme for his debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker. It opens with the Così fan tutte overture, a piece full of subtle irony in the characteristic buffo style. Minasi then turns to the “Haffner” Symphony, which Mozart compiled from his serenade of the same name – the music, the composer wrote, “is sure to make a good impression”. Before the famous G minor Symphony, K. 550, we will hear the Concertone for two violins and orchestra. The work is a delightful combination of the Classical symphony and the Baroque concerto grosso. The soloists are 1st concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley, and Thomas Timm, 1st principal of the second violins.
Berliner Philharmoniker
Riccardo Minasi
Noah Bendix-Balgley
Thomas Timm
© 2023 Berlin Phil Media GmbH
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