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7:30 PM MONDAY, JULY 30, 2018
MARTIN THEATRE
TAKÁCS STRING QUARTET
EDWARD DUSINBERRE,
violin
HARUMI RHODES,
violin
GERALDINE WALTHER,
viola
ANDRÁS FEJÉR,
cello
MOZART
String Quartet No. (“Prussian” No. )
Allegretto
Andante
Menuetto: Allegretto
Allegretto
DOHNÁNYI
String Quartet No.
Andante—Allegro
Presto acciacato
Molto adagio—Animato (Molto più mosso)
–
–
D9OĎ.
String Quartet No.
Allegro ma non troppo
Dumka: Andante con moto
Romanze: Andante con moto
Finale: Allegro assai
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–91)
String Quartet No. in D major, .
(“Prussian” No. )
Quite unexpectedly, Mozart le Vienna in April
for the Prussian court in Potsdam and Ber-
lin.
is excursion di ered signi cantly from
nearly every other journey made during his adult
life: Mozart had not pre-arranged concerts any-
where along the way prior to his departure. Fur-
thermore, he and traveling companion Prince
Karl Lichnowsky dawdled between Vienna and
Potsdam, making a brief stop in Prague (a com-
mon way station) and extended layovers in Dres-
den and Leipzig, where Mozart hastily arranged
an organ recital at the St.
omas Church.
Further questions surrounded these days, since
communication between husband and wife mys-
teriously broke o . Mozart blamed the situation
on poor postal delivery, but service disruption
between two major German cities and the im-
perial capital seems highly unlikely. Constanze
certainly grew suspicious when her husband
could not list the number and dates of the lost
letters. is gaping period of silence opened the
door on gossip in Mozart’s day and ever since.
Little documentation surrounds his arrival at the
Prussian court; only one o cial record in Pots-
dam on April : “ e gentleman namedMotzart
[
sic
] (who declares himself to be a Kapellmeister
from Vienna) announces that he has arrived in
the company of Prince Lichnowsky and humbly
wishes to display his talents to His Royal Maj-
esty. He awaits His Royal Majesty’s command,
whether he may be allowed to appear before
Him.” King Friedrich Wilhelm II refused Mozart
a royal audience and instead sent him to court
concertmaster Jean-Pierre Duport. Making most
of the situation, he composed a set of piano vari-
ations on a minuet theme by Duport, reportedly
a favorite of the king. His activities also included
a private performance for Princess Friederike.
Despite obvious failure with the king, Mo-
zart reported to Michael Puchberg on July ,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, etching by K. Dostal
made during his time in Prague
RAVINIA MAGAZINE | JULY 30 – AUGUST 5, 2018
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