Season Opener

We’re opening our doors! At the Musikkollegium opening festival, the action will take place not only inside the Stadthaus but also all around it. And various institutions from the city will be participating: A pre-concert performance by the Stadtmusik Winterthur will highlight Winterthur’s incredibly diverse and high-quality amateur cultural scene. And what better way to get in the mood for this season’s theme—“Nature,” subtly woven into the program—than with a guided tour of Winterthur, the Garden City; a walk on the theme of “Biodiversity in the City” (both in collaboration with the House of Winterthur); or a cleanup campaign led by MyBluePlanet, Winterthur’s climate protection pioneer! For the grand opening concert, however, the action returns to the Stadthaus. And at least one composer’s name evokes nature: Alfred Baum was an organist at Zurich’s Neumünster and a piano teacher at the conservatories in Winterthur and Zurich. As an orchestral pianist, he performed regularly with the Winterthur City Orchestra. Of his more than 400 works, only a very few were published, but his Concerto for Trumpet, Piano, Timpani, and Strings enjoyed a certain popularity in the 1960s and 1970s, having been recorded several times for CD releases. But the other two works on the program are far better known. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 is one of only two composed in a minor key. The expressive contrasts between minor and major—between pure drama and peaceful romance—have led many listeners to think of the later Romantic era. No less rich in contrast are Zoltán Kodály’s Dances from Galánta; slow and fast dance melodies alternate, building to a brilliant, spirited finale. A warm welcome to the 26/27 season!

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 20 in D minor, K. 466
Alfred Baum - Concerto for Trumpet, Piano, Timpani, and Strings
Zoltán Kodály - Dances from Galánta

Cast
; Orchestra: Musikkollegium
; Conductor and Piano: Richard Octaviano Kogima
; Trumpet: Guillaume Thoraval