Join BBC Radio 3 for a FREE lunchtime invitation concert ‘Classical Colours’ with the Ulster Orchestra at the Ulster Hall, Belfast on 09 April 2025!
The programme begins with a work by Joseph Bologne: an 18th century polymath, of African descent. He was a champion fencer before his 20th birthday, a virtuoso violinist at the heart of the Parisian music scene and a close friend of Queen Marie Antoinette. His Symphony No. 2, written in 1779, is actually the overture from an earlier opera, filled with exuberant energy and singable melodies.
Mozart wrote his Divertimento in D, K136, just 7 years earlier in Salzburg. In keeping with the Austrian divertimento tradition it entertains, showcases virtuosity and is immensely tuneful. It is also regularly performed by string quartets.
The final work in the programme comes closer to home. Haydn wrote his Symphony No. 92 in 1789, just 2 years before he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Oxford. On that occasion he conducted the piece in the city’s Sheldonian Theatre and thereafter it gained the nickname ‘Oxford’. It is a mature work, gilded with quality, and features a particularly smart finale.
The award-winning British conductor, Ben Gernon, makes a welcome return to the Ulster Hall.
Joseph Bologne: Symphony No.2 in D major, Op.11 – 11’
Mozart Divertimento K.136 – 15’
Haydn: Symphony No.92 in G Major (“Oxford”) – 28’
Conductor: Ben Gernon
