The Dryden Ensemble: Mozart's Birthday

Mozart's Birthday

Mozart's Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, K. 493
& an 18th-century arrangement of the 'Gran Partita'
for oboe, strings, and fortepiano, featuring Dongsok Shin on a reproduction of Mozart's piano.

The Dryden Ensemble Celebrates Mozart's Birthday

Concerts to be performed in Princeton and Solebury

PRINCETON, NJ – The Dryden Ensemble will present “Mozart's Birthday” on Saturday, January 26, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. at Miller Chapel, located on the campus of the Princeton Theological Seminary, 64 Mercer Street, Princeton, NJ  and on Sunday, January 27th at 3:00 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church Solebury, 6587 Upper York Road, Solebury, PA. Tickets prices are $35 for general admission, $30 for seniors; $10 for students, and may be purchased at the door or online at http://www.drydenensemble.org.

In 1781 Mozart left the employ of the Archbishop of Salzburg to pursue his artistic freedom by freelancing in Vienna, against the wishes of his father Leopold. Mozart’s early years in Vienna, the focus of this program, proved to be a critical juncture in the composer's life, and led to the creation of his most brilliant works.

The program opens with an 18th-century arrangement of the 1782 wind serenade known as the "Gran Partita” for oboe, strings and fortepiano, and concludes with the Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-flat Major (K. 493) of 1786, written just a month after Mozart completed The Marriage of Figaro. Einstein once described the first theme of the quartet's rondo as "the purest, most childlike and godlike melody ever sung."

Fortepianist Dongsok Shin will perform on a reproduction of an instrument Mozart purchased in the early 1780s, now preserved in the Mozarthaus in Salzburg.  Mr. Shin was born in Boston and has played the piano since he was four. Since the early 1980s, he has specialized exclusively on early keyboard instruments.

Now in his 16th year as the keyboard player for the internationally acclaimed baroque ensemble REBEL, he has appeared with ARTEK, Concert Royal, Mark Morris Dance Group, New York Collegium, New York Philharmonic, Early Music New York’s Grande Bande, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Pro Musica Rara, and the American Classical Orchestra, among others.

He has accompanied artists such as Renee Fleming, Rufus Müller, and Barthold Kuijken.  He has toured throughout North America, Europe, and Mexico, has been heard on many radio broadcasts, and has recorded for Bridge, Ex Cathedra, Lyrichord, Newport Classic, Helicon, ATMA Classique and Dorian Recordings.

The Dryden Ensemble will also include Jane McKinley on classical oboe, Vita Wallace on violin, Andrea Andros on viola, and Lisa Terry on violoncello.

The Dryden Ensemble's season will continue with "Versailles Revisited" on April 20 in Solebury and April 21 in Princeton. For details and additional information visithttp://www.drydenensemble.org.

About The Dryden Ensemble:

Named in honor of John Dryden, the English poet laureate whose words inspired Baroque composers including Purcell and Handel, the Dryden Ensemble specializes in performing music of the 17th and 18th centuries on period instruments.  A line from Dryden's Song to St. Cecilia captures the essence of baroque music and the ensemble's philosophy:  "What Passion cannot Musick raise and quell!"

The Dryden Ensemble is a not-for-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and a registered charity in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. For information on how to become a supporter or sponsor of the Dryden Ensemble visit:https://www.drydenensemble.org/supporttheensemble.html.