Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra - Fall Concert - Classically Romantic

Mozart Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385 “Haffner” 

Bruckner Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major, WAB 104 “Romantic” 

The PSO’s 28th season opens with two Austrian composers who were both considered masters of harmony. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385, “Haffner”, is a celebratory piece written in honor of the Mozart’s friend, Sigmund Haffner, a wealthy Salzburg merchant, upon the occasion of his elevation to nobility. The work opens triumphantly with a brightness and exuberance that tells us it was intended to be performed outdoors and is the epitome of the classical style. Anton Bruckner was, for most of his composing life, relatively unknown but is now recognized for raising the symphonic form to new heights. His Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major, WAB 104, “Romantic,” reflects the composer’s dramatic use of brass and genius for harmonic and melodic invention.