At the Valli theater in Reggio, the Camerata RCO performs music by Mozart and Schubert
With the concert on Sunday 8 January, at 8.30 pm, the Fondazione I Teatri kicks off 2023 by bringing the Camerata RCO to the stage of the Teatro Municipale Valli, a chamber ensemble made up of first parts and members of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, so called for the famous concert hall of Amsterdam: two monuments of chamber literature are planned; the Clarinet Quintet in A major K. 581 Stadler by Mozart and the Octet for winds and strings in F major, op. 166, D.803 by Schubert.
The Quintet K. 581 is due to the acquaintance of the instrumentalist Anton Stadler, a virtuoso of extraordinary ability who revealed to Mozart the expressive potential of the clarinet, and whose name the quintet, the summit of Mozart’s entire production in this field, bears. Although Mozart’s personal life in that period (1789) was marked by serious economic difficulties, none of this transpires in his latest chamber work, pervaded by a quiet serenity, and capable of reaching moments of ecstatic contemplation.
Modeled on Beethoven’s Septet, Schubert’s Octet – with a similar set and an additional violin: clarinet, bassoon, horn, two violins, viola, cello, double bass – was quickly composed in 1824: divided into six movements, it is a work of large dimensions that reflects the most lyrical and romantically singable face of Schubert.
The Camerata RCO was born from the desire of the musicians to share their shared and consolidated experience as orchestra professors also in the field of chamber music. The extraordinary flexibility of the staff with which the Camerata RCO proposes itself allows for the exploration of the entire range of musical literature, from the Baroque to contemporary music. Although their recent formation dates back to 2009, the Camerata of the Royal Concertgebouw has already performed numerous concerts in Vienna, Taipei, Seoul, Rome (University Institute of Concerts), Amsterdam, Bergen, Turin (Unione Musicale), Asti, Alencon (FR, Septembre Musicale de l’Orne), as well as recorded for national broadcasters. From 2012 to today they have released 5 albums with Gutman Records: Corelli Concerto Grosso, particularly dedicated to Christmas (2012); Sweet Gnocchi and Cheese Strudel (Mozart & Mendelssohn – 2013); A la Carte (Ravel, Mozart, Corelli, Mendelssohn – 2013); the Ninth Symphony by Mahler in chamber version (directed by Gustavo Gimeno – 2014); Mozart’s Strings and Woodwinds (2015).
The ensemble is a regular guest in the Dutch seasons and in Italy at festivals and concert seasons. Camerata RCO also recently performed in New York, Minsk, Tokyo, Seoul, Paris, Rome and Madrid.
This is how its members tell themselves: «We love playing in our Orchestra immensely, but we want to expand this joy of making music together also by performing in chamber ensembles. Not only is the repertoire different, but also the feeling of distant chamber music is more personal and intimate. We also love establishing a very close contact with the public, it is an exchange of energy that particularly inspires us».
Sunday 8 January 2023 at 20.30
Valli Municipal Theatre
Camerata RCO Members of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Clarinet Quintet in A major K. 581 Stadler
Franz Schubert, Octet for winds and strings in F major, op. 166, D.803