Programme

Chevalier de Saint-George – Symphony No.1 in G major, Op.11
Mozart – Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major ‘Turkish’ K.219
Corelli – Concerto Grosso, Op.6, No.7
J.C. Bach – Symphony 6 in G minor, Op.6, No.6

Performers

Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Simon Blendis Director
Simon Zhu Violin

‘What a loss to the musical world!’ wrote Mozart on J.C. Bach’s death in 1782. Bach’s visionary music had a huge influence on the young Mozart – they met in London when Mozart was just eight years old. The similarities in invention and styles will be clear when the Academy of St Martin in the Fields perform J.C. Bach’s Symphony No. 6 in G minor and Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major. One of the forgotten greats of the Classical period, Chevalier de Saint-George, the son of a French planter and an African slave on the island of Guadeloupe, also inspired Mozart; the lively writing of his Symphony No.1 in G major evokes the mastery of both Mozart and Haydn. In addition to these ravishing Classical works, a standout from the Baroque era, Corelli’s trailblazing Concerto Grosso Op.6 No.7. But Mozart’s beloved concerto the centrepiece of this concert, presenting an opportunity to introduce an accomplished young violinist to a London audience, 22-year-old Simon Zhu, winner of the Mozart Special Award at the 2021 Menuhin Competition.