Leader, J. Mouland Begbie
Conductor, Guy Warrack
' Mozart's Boyhood'
Overture, Apollo et Hyacinthus
(written at 12)
Symphony No. 1, in E flat
(written at 9)
1 Molto allegro. 2 Andante. 3 Presto
Overture, La finta semplice (The
Simple Trick) (written at 13) 1 Molto allegro. 2 Andante. 3 Molto allegro
Of the three works of Mozart's boyhood that make up this evening's programme, perhaps the most remarkable is the symphony, K.16, the work of a boy of nine, and a sick boy at that. Like the Symphony in B flat, K.17, it was written in London in 1764. Although unremarkable in melody and of development, this little work already shows a remarkable grasp of musical form; there is not a superfluous bar in it.
The little Latin comedy, Apollo et
Hyacinthus (nine numbers in all) was written for the University of Salzburg and performed there on May 13, 1767. La finta semplice was a more elaborate affair, a full-blown opera buffa in three acts, but it was never performed. The overture is a modified version of a Symphony in D, K.45, written in January, 1768.