Three stars, three works, one dazzling concert

What were you doing at age eight?

Most of us were still figuring out how to ride a bike or punishing the neighbours with the recorder – but not Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

At just eight years old, Mozart was already composing music that would go on to be performed centuries later. His Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major may be short and relatively simple, but it already hints at the musical instincts that would make him one of the most beloved composers in history.

This little known piece by a youthful Mozart opens our upcoming concert on 4 April 2025, which centres on Beethoven's Triple Concerto.

Written for violin, cello and piano with orchestral accompaniment, this is a Beethoven rarity. It’s the only concerto he composed for multiple soloists.

Performed by our Concertmaster Emma McGrath, our Principal Cello Jonathan Békés and pianist Konstantin Shamray, this performance will be as much about musical teamwork as virtuosic display. The three solo instruments don’t just take turns showing off, they riff off of each other and occasionally engage in friendly musical skirmishes.

The concert closes with Mozart's mighty final symphony, the crowning achievement of his career as a symphonist.

If his Symphony No. 1 shows the beginnings of his genius, Mozart's Symphony No. 41, ‘Jupiter’, shows it at full bloom. It is expansive, joyful and endlessly inventive. The final movement weaves together five different melodies in a dazzling show of counterpoint.

Conducting the orchestra is Dutch conductor and Music Director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Otto Tausk, whose previous appearances with TSO have been full of charisma and character.