Dear Users,

You are cordially invited to the upcoming MUSIC LIBRARY LIVE 2024-2025 screening event of this semester, Franz Welser-Möst conducts Mozart and Strauss. Come and enjoy the performance by renowned conductor Welser-Möst and his Cleveland Orchestra, and feast on top-level music by Mozart and Strauss among others. Attendants will be able to receive a gift on a first-come, first-serve basis!

Content of Screening: Franz Welser-Möst conducts works by Suppé, Mozart and Strauss — With Leif Ove Andsnes and Dorothea Röschmann

Conductor: Franz Welser-Möst

Orchestra: Cleveland Orchestra

Time: 4:00-5:30 pm, May 9, 2025 (Friday)

Location: Lecture Classroom 102, School of Music

Introduction to the performers:

Franz Welser-Most (1960-) is one of today’s most sought-after conductors in the world. Born in Linz, Austria, he first learned the violin, but later switched to conducting due to injury caused by an accident, becoming a student of Baduin Sultze. In 1986, he rose to fame by conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Salzburg Festival and served as its principal conductor from 1990 to 1996. Since 2002, he has been the music director of the Cleveland Orchestra and has led the orchestra to become one of the world's top orchestras. In 2010, he succeeded Seiji Ozawa as the artistic director of the Vienna State Opera. He also conducted the New Year's Concert of Vienna three times (2011, 2013 & 2023) to wide acclaim. His conducting style is dramatic while precise, and he particularly specializes in German and Austrian works from classical and romantic period. He has been nominated for Grammy Awards and the Austrian Cross of Arts and Sciences among other honors.

The Cleveland Orchestra was founded in 1918, and is one of the "Top Five" symphony orchestras of the United States of America. Renowned for its precision as an ensemble, as well as its transparent and balanced tone, the orchestra is hailed as "the most Europeanized orchestra in the US." Under the rigorous training of George Szell (music director from 1946 to 1970), the orchestra gradually became the world's top orchestras, excelling particularly in German and Austrian works of the classical period. Since the tenure of Franz Welser-Möst in 2002, the orchestra has maintained a high performance level and has been touring worldwide. The orchestra is based at Severance Hall in Cleveland and has its own recording label, producing numerous acclaimed recordings of classical music.  

Introduction to the music:

Overture to Leichte Kavallerie is the overture to Leichte Kavallerie (Light Cavalry), an operetta in two acts by Franz von Suppé, with a libretto by Karl Costa. It was first performed in 1866. While much of the operetta remains in relative obscurity, the Light Cavalry Overture is one of Suppé's best known works, and is still widely performed worldwide.

Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major, K. 453, composed in 1784 for Mozart’s beloved pupil Barbara Ployer, this concerto exemplifies his mature style, blending elegance and emotional depth. Set in radiant G major, it highlights his melodic brilliance and orchestral dialogue, particularly with woodwinds. The finale’s variations are said to be inspired by the song of Mozart’s pet starling, infusing the work with playful charm. A hallmark of his mid-career concertos, it balances courtly refinement with subtle emotional shifts.

Selections from Le Nozze di Figaro, Mozart’s operatic masterpiece from 1786, "Porgi Amor" is the Countess’s poignant aria, yearning for lost love, while “Dove sono” is a dramatic transition from sorrow to resolve, showcasing Mozart’s psychological insight. Both arias, with their sublime vocal lines, epitomize his operatic genius.

Artist’s Life Waltz, Op. 316, composed in 1867, this waltz epitomizes Viennese elegance, with its flowing melodies and aristocratic flair. Structured traditionally (introduction, chain of waltzes, coda), it paints a vivid sonic portrait of high-society artistic life.

Anna Polka, Op. 117, a spirited 1852 polka, brimming with playful rhythms and buoyant themes, showcasing Strauss’s dance-music virtuosity.

Overture to Die Fledermaus, Strauss’s most famous operetta (premiered 1874) that blends witty plots, soaring arias, and exuberant dances (waltzes, polkas, marches), is a testament to his theatrical brilliance, remaining a favorite of New Year’s concerts worldwide.

We look forward to seeing you then. Thank you. 

The Music Library of MUS

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen

May 7, 2025