New York Philharmonic Present Haydn & Mozart at Lincoln Center

Details

Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Friday, 29 May 2026 13:53

Written by Jack Angstreich

Photo by Chris Lee

At Lincoln Center’s wonderful David Geffen Hall, on the morning of Friday, May 22nd, I had the privilege to attend a fabulous concert presented by the New York Philharmonic, under the stellar direction of Marek Janowski, 

The event started splendidly with an accomplished account of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s exquisite Serenade No. 6 in D major, K.239, the Serenata notturna, from 1776. (It featured violinists Frank Huang and Qianqian Li, violist Cynthia Phelps, and bassist Max Zeugner.) The initial Marcia movement, marked Maestoso, is charming and effervescent, although with a more subdued but graceful, contrasting section. The ensuing Menuetto is stately and march-like too, while its Trio is more playful and ebullient. The energetic Rondeau finale, marked Allegretto, is also delightful—it has a more serious, slower interlude. 

Even more memorably, Philharmonic principal Christopher Martin then entered the stage as soloist in a superb rendition of Franz Joseph Haydn’s brilliant Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major, from 1796. The Allegro, firstmovement has a noble, even majestic, quality but acquires a great depth of feeling as it unfolds—it features a marvelous cadenza. The succeeding Andante is more solemn and restrained but lovely—it closes quietly. The Allegro Finale is lively, indeed jubilant, and enchanting.

The second half of the program was even better: a masterly realization of Felix Mendelssohn’s extraordinary Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, completed in 1842. The composer wrote interestingly on the work’s genesis:

In the evening twilight we went today to the palace where Queen Mary lived and loved; a little room is shown there with a winding staircase leading up to the door: up this way they came and found Rizzio in that dark corner, where they pulled him out, and three rooms off there is a dark corner, where they murdered him. The chapel close to it is now roofless, grass and ivy grow there, and at that broken altar Mary was crowned Queen of Scotland. Everything round is broken and mouldering and the bright sky shines in. I believe I have found today in that old chapel the beginning of my Scottish Symphony.

The beginning movement has a somber introduction, marked Andante con moto, that precedes its complex, more characteristically Mendelssohnian, and passionately Romantic main body—its tempo is Allegro in poco agitato—with many turbulent passages; it finishes softly. The following, Vivace non troppo is dance-like, spirited, and often dynamic but not without a certain gravity at times—it too concludes gently. The subsequent Adagio more intensively elaborates the serious elements in the earlier movements; it closes serenely. The last movement is generally faster, with considerable forward momentum and some impressive fugal writing—one can discern the influence of Ludwig van Beethoven most strongly here—it builds finally to a powerful and affirmative climax, ending triumphantly.

The artists deservedly received a standing ovation.

• Next >