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The Glasshouse

 

THIS EVENT HAS PASSED

Teenage Genius

with Pre-concert talk 6.30pm

Teenage-Genius

Teenage Genius

with Pre-concert talk 6.30pm

THIS EVENT HAS PASSED

Sir Roger Norrington conductor
Lauma Skride piano
Royal Northern Sinfonia

Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture
R Strauss Wind Serenade
C Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor
Schubert Der Spiegelritter Overture
Mozart Symphony No.29

In this very special performance, a venerated octagenarian conductor celebrates the exuberant musical mastery of youth, with a programme of music written entirely by teenagers. Alongside Mendelssohn’s famous overture, we mark Clara Schumann’s anniversary, discover gems by Strauss and Schubert, and marvel at the amazing accomplishment of the 18-year-old Mozart.

Why not listen to our Teenage Genius playlist on Spotify?

A message from Sir Roger Norrington…

“I’m really looking forward to being back at with RNS again after a few years away. And also looking forward to this intriguing programme of very young composers writing very well. They are all well known, except for Clara Wieck. A remarkable virtuoso, she wrote this concerto to play herself at the age of 14. Her admirer Robert Schumann orchestrated the score for her, and a few years later they were married. Of course, Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Strauss need no introduction. It’s a rich evening of music.”

Useful Information

Part of our RNS at Home series

Concessions Available

  • Gateshead Residents
  • Bar 5 for 18-30s
  • 17 and Under and Unemployed
  • Groups

Buses from Alnwick and Hexham

What's it all about?

Teenager. A person aged between 13 and 19 years. Synonyms: youth, adolescent, juvenile, minor. Associated with late nights, lie-ins, partying, and composing history-making music? Not entirely what you expect to hear of teenagers, but that is exactly what these composers did. Each of the five pieces we hear in this concert were written before the composer turned 19, and each staggering achievement paved the way for their future careers.

Mendelssohn penned his Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream when he was just 17, having been impressed by Schlegel’s translations of the Shakespeare work. Richard Strauss was even younger when he wrote his groundbreaking Serenade for Winds. Aged just 16, the young composer impressed renowned conductor Bülow so much, he agreed to take the piece on tour with his orchestra. Sadly, Strauss was more dismissive of the piece in later life, calling it “nothing more than the respectable work of a music student.” We aren’t sure we agree there!

Clara Schumann, long associated with supporting her husband Robert and editing his works, was a Teenage Genius in her own right. Before taking to composing, she made her first appearance as a pianist aged 9, then went on to give her first solo recital aged 11 before touring Europe. A little while later, but still only aged 14, she began to write the Piano Concerto in A minor and was the soloist in its first performance. Schubert had a musical upbringing typical of his time. He began his career as a boy soprano but, once he started to develop as a composer, recognised that opera would be a fast-track to success – both musical and financial! In 1812, aged just 15, Schubert began to work on Der Spiegelritter but he eventually abandoned the project, without even completing the first act. This does not detract from the quality of the overture however!

Mozart was the ‘eldest’ composer of our collection for this concert. But even he was still only 18 years old when he wrote Symphony No.29. Mozart had spent some of his formative teenage years in Vienna attempting to win a place at the imperial court. Whilst he wasn’t successful in this, he did learn a lot about entertainment music, including string quartets, and you can clearly hear the influence of chamber music in this symphony, with its intimate interplay between instruments.

This concert celebrates youth alongside experience. The energetic enthusiasm of youth is abundant in this music, and conductor Sir Roger Norrington is sure to prove that this enthusiasm only increases over time!