Sleepy Kraus, excellent Mozart, dramatic Schubert

Joseph Martin Kraus was a classical composer who is sometimes referred to as the "Swedish Mozart". Whoever who coined up this "Swedish Mozart" title, in my opinion is entirely misled and it is an utter misnomer. Frankly, the Symphony in C sharp minor was utterly boring and does not warrant any modern concert attention.

The concert on 28 November 2009 opened with this moribund and meandering piece. Claus Peter Flor and the MPO should not waste their effort and audience attention on such trashy compositions. Perhaps a better first piece to begin the concert with is a Sinfonia by JC Bach (Anything from the Op 3, 6, 9 or 18 set should be anytime better than the Kraus).

Things perked up when Robert Levin came on to play Mozart's Piano Concerto No 23 - one of the Austrian master's most jolly creations of the genre. There was a joyous feel about the piece, the tempi were lively, articulation was clear and phrasing was also very sharp. Levin played his own cadenzas for the Mozart, which was a welcome change from the usually played ones. The audience gave him a very warm round of applause.

The Schubert "Unfinished Symphony" that followed after the interval was warmly played with singing lines in the cellos and woodwinds. The MPO and Flor gave a suitably dramatic account of the first movement, with a delightful rendition of the second movement. This was a lovely concert in the "Age of Elegance" series but the Kraus Symphony was far from elegant.