Performers
Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Bernard Labadie, Principal Conductor
Ying Fang, Soprano
Paul Lewis, Piano

Program
HAYDN Overture to L’Isola disabitata
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 2
MOZART “Non più, tutto ascoltai … Non temer, amato bene,” K. 490
HAYDN Symphony No. 45, “Farewell”

Haydn’s craftsmanship, melodic mastery, and sharp wit inspired generations of composers after him, including Mozart and Beethoven. Haydn’s “Farewell” Symphony was the composer’s way of telling his boss, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy, that the court musicians wanted to return to their families after an unexpectedly long period of employment from which they were not permitted leave—after three bustling movements, it winds down to silence to deliver the message. Haydn’s “children” have their say as well: Beethoven’s concerto bubbles over with wit and high spirits, while Mozart’s melodically splendid concert aria weaves voice and obbligato violin into a pseudo operatic duet.