Oxford May Music: Austrian Brothers

Sandwiched between two masterworks by Mozart, we have pieces by composers who all particularly admired their great predecessor: Webern expressed enthusiasm for both Beethoven and Mozart, although his own music, following his teacher Schoenberg, went in very different directions; Mahler, whose composition was a sideline to his main career, conducting, was particularly associated with Mozart’s music; Arvo Pärt wrote a beautiful homage to both Mozart and the late Oleg Kagan with his Mozart-Adagio. While the Clarinet Quintet is an old favourite at the Festival, the E flat major Piano Quartet receives its first outing.