Mozart 40 and Holberg

Last week, I heard the string orchestra at my university perform Mozart's 40th Symphony and From Holberg's Time by Grieg.

Listening as a pianist, I was moved by the sense of longing that strings portray so well. I was reminded that some of the most moving piano playing seems to come from a sense of the musical tension of one note leading to another. Because of the nature of their instruments, string players usually demonstrate that sensibility.

Listening to the students play, I once again experienced the freshness and passion that are part of the efforts of good young ensembles. I often prefer the unjaded energy of a conservatory orchestra to the work of seasoned professionals.

Finally, certain slow passages of the Mozart seem to be filled with an atmosphere of impending judgement. Perhaps I hear the music in that way because of similarities in tone with portions of the Requiem or Don Giovanni. Nonetheless, I think the idea of God's judgement on our lives loomed much larger in the consiousness of most people in Mozart's day than in the minds of most modern listeners.