Happy New Year from Ars Antigua Presents! We begin with a song written by Karl Friedrich Zelter, a contemporary of Mozart whose pupils included Felix Mendelssohn and Giacomo Meyerbeer. Zelter found a friend and kindred artistic spirit in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and the two of them often discussed musical matters and the importance of the song in arts and society. Of Zelter’s 210 solo Lieder, 75 are to texts by Goethe, including “At Midnight”.
Performers: Peter van de Graaff, bass; Sharon Peterson, piano [3:42]
We’ll also hear a piece from that concert to celebrate Mozart’s 255th birthday later this month- the famous Rondo alla Turca, music that imitates the sound of Turkish janissary bands, thought to be the oldest type of military marching band in the world.
Performers: Ars Antigua [3:33]
Total podcast length: [9:30]