Claudio Abbado and the Orchestra Mozart perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047 at the Teatro Municipale Valli in Reggio Emilia, Italy (2007).
Of the six Brandenburg Concertos, this is likely the most well-known – with its wonderfully ceremonial, blaring trumpet in the first and third movements. In Bach's day, the trumpet was generally reserved solely for military music. This makes the use of trumpet in this second Brandenburg Concerto an anomaly, shaping the direction of the piece in striking fashion. Unusual in and of itself is the combination of the four solo instruments; alto recorder, violin, oboe, and trumpet – which compete in a virtuosic fugue in the outer movements.
The most beautiful moment of this concert recording comes as a surprise, at its close. During the applause – which itself lasts more than two minutes – the stage is being showered with flowers. Euphorically, the musicians strike up an encore, repeating the last movement – the Allegro assai of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 – this time faster and with more intensity. The sopranino recorder plays the part of the alto recorder, and the last trumpet note of the stunning piece is played an octave higher – the triumphant finale to a magnificent concert.
The Brandenburg Concertos (BWV 1046–1051) by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750) are a collection of six instrumental works dedicated by Bach to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg, in 1721. They are regarded as some of the best orchestral compositions of the Baroque era. But the concerts were probably composed between 1718 and 1721 for Bach’s Köthener Hofkappelle. Bach’s original title, “Six Concerts with Various Instruments,” describes exactly what is special about these concerts: the varied use of several instruments, i.e. different strings, wind instruments, or solo harpsichord for the concertino.
The Orchestra Mozart was founded in 2004 to give talented young musicians the opportunity to play in a world-class orchestra with a world-class conductor. Claudio Abbado (1933-2014) is considered one of the greatest conductors of all time. In 2011, the music magazine “Classic Voice” named Abbado the most important of the top 100 living conductors. He was born into a family of musicians in Milan, Italy, on June 26, 1933. After studying conducting, piano and composition at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan, he continued at the Vienna Music Academy. In 1968 Abbado became chief conductor at the Milan Scala. In the subsequent years, he was to be seen on the world’s great concert stages, in Milan, London and Chicago. After giving his debut at the Vienna State Opera in 1984, he was named the city’s general music director. In October 1989, the members of the Berlin Philharmonic elected him artistic director, succeeding Herbert von Karajan. He remained in Berlin until 2002. Abbado died in Bologna on January 20, 2014, aged 80, after a long battle with cancer.
