May Festival 2010 - Opening Concert

Ensemble 360 and Peter Cropper open the Festival with Mozart’s Oboe Quartet, which pushes the oboe to its limits in the moving slow movement, a contrast to the rest of this light and spirited piece.

A cornerstone of wind repertoire, Beethoven’s Quintet pays homage to Mozart’s piece for the same instruments, which can be heard at Wednesday 12 May’s lunchtime concert. Whilst looking back to Mozart, Beethoven took the form to another level. In contrast to these pieces, Schubert’s Piano Trio is an explosive work of passion and drama. Like Beethoven, Schubert pushed the boundaries of music, making pieces more expansive then they had been before. Pre-concert Talk at 6.15pm: Haydn’s Influence (£2). Peter Cropper and Ensemble 360 discuss the influence Haydn had on the composer’s in tonight’s concert.